I help busy people just like you recover from concussion. Your brain and body are incredibly resilient- let Concussion Rehab help you get your life back.
“I had serious neck pain, numbness in my right arm and suffered from double vision due to an athletic injury. I had 2 treatments with Melissa, and within 48 hours of the first treatment I noticed significant improvement, and then within 48 hours of the second treatment, I had complete relief from all the symptoms, and now I am back at my regular training scheduled without any residue from the injury.”
-Chelsea Ferrando, Dancer, Martial Artist
Melissa Biscardi uses a combination of acupuncture and manual therapy to treat injuries and wear and tear for weekend warriors, full time athletes and has treated professional athletes from the NHL. Medical Acupuncture
Medical acupuncture involves the insertion of fine solid needles into the body to target specific peripheral nerves. These needles are then stimulated with electricity for the purpose of correcting abnormal activity of the nervous system caused by injury to the area. Medical acupuncture is extremely effective in the treatment of acute and chronic musculoskeletal dysfunctions due to injury/overuse. It can also be used to treat a number of other concerns such as concussions, digestive issues, insomnia and migraines. Osteopathy
Osteopathic manual practice is a holistic approach to treating one or more problems based on anatomy, physiology and biomechanics of the human body. Using hands-on techniques, treatments may focus on different areas such as bones, muscles and joints. As restrictions in the body are treated, normal function returns to the area and symptoms resolve allowing for a fast and safe return to sport or active living.
01/26/2024
hey hey hey!!! just wanting to share my next little thing in case you or someone you know may be interested :)
A Look Inside: The Oculomotor Phenotype is my beloved little workshop about assessing and treating issues stemming from facial-ocular tissues, crappy eye movements and poor head-eye-vestibular integration....in this workshop I focus on the stuff we can do and shine at as physios, osteos, RMT, Kin and all the other fab rehab therapists out there trying to make a difference in patient with concussion or concussions!
Neurology of eye movements, red flags, collaboration and low vs high tech. Must haves to be the concussion clinician MVP you are.
05/28/2023
Last week at University of Toronto, had fun seeing all the research and also listening to talks on Patient Centred Research!
03/30/2020
Do you feel like your concussion symptoms have spiked in the last few weeks? If yes, you are not alone. Heck you may even feel some concussion like symptoms when your concussion was many years ago. Stress can really affect your brain! I call this the stress re-concussion.
Join me and 3 of my great colleagues this week as we provide some practical strategies to help with mindset, breathing, diet and brain-friendly massages and activities. Link to register: https://mailchi.mp/d6012fbdd9ae/concussioncrisis
Dr. Shyamala Kiru:
Is an expert on mastering mindset for resilience and has helped thousands of people just like you and me.
Dr. Katie Thomson Aitken
Is a naturopathic doctor with a expertise in neuro (brain) inflammation and managing diet to support concussion recovery and maximizing brain health.
Sarah Harris is a super star Wellness Coach and Nutritionist with a world of experience on using breath and movement to get back to health in complex situations.
and myself, Melissa Biscardi , concussion clinician and brain health advocate, I love all things brain health and concussion care. We can't wait to share with you!
Virtual care may seem wierd at first but it is actually fun and accessible in times like these! While we are overcoming this state of things I encourage you not to neglect your physical and mental health.
I know for some of you I am a primary care provider/essential service and I promise you will not be abandoned. Please reach out if you need support in any way. You may book an appointment online or shoot me an email if you just need some positive vibes.
No we wont wear VR goggles (unfortunately) but we will chat and strategize and move our bodies🤗
We don't know when the end of this will be but like most businesses I will say in person is halted for around 2 weeks. To be determined since every day things are changing.
02/25/2020
CBD, sleep, and concussion?👤
Many of my patients take CBD or CBD+THC to help them sleep. Many of both my post-concussion patients and my other body-related patients do this.🌿
So what does the research say?🤓
Well, the research is in its infancy. In fact, when I was at the World Congress of Brain Injury I spoke with some of the big names in cannabis on this matter. They were looking for collaborators to move this research forward. So in the absence of research we need to use common sense, clinical case examples, and the evidence that exists. The good news in a recent (2019) study out of the University of Toronto actually pointed towards cannabis use in the acute stage (4 weeks) following concussion as being related to lower symptoms load. 📉
So far, it seems to help some people, while some do not get a benefit. Dose certainly matters. Most of my patients combine CBD with a small amount of THC. In terms of route, patients generally take the gummies.🍬🍬
I would love to hear about anyone else who has used CBD with or without THC specifically for sleeping or anxiety post concussion.
Don’t forget to register for the online concussion support group! www.rehablab.ca
02/05/2020
ANXIETY AND CONCUSSION:
A huge part of concussion recovery is that you look "normal" to people around you but on the inside you don't feel like yourself. It is an invisible injury.
One symptom many of my patients experience is anxiety and I have them do this little exercise. It seems simple but it can really help:
Take 4 fingers and tap the middle of your forehead firmly 10 times, next, tap your chest/sternum 10 times. Breath in and out slowly. Repeat. You can also smell something pleasant at the end if you aren't sensitive to smells. I love using orange.
02/04/2020
More concussions than you can count? Concussed years ago?🤕
I have more and more patients who are realizing the effect of previous concussions on their health and that they don’t feel as good as they could.
Treatment for old concussions involves finding out what isn’t working quite right and setting you up with the best chances for a happy brain in the future.
This may look like:
➡️Reducing headaches😨
➡️Improving mood or sleep😴
➡️Improving memory🤔
➡️Decreasing dizziness🥴
➡️Reducing irritability, anger or sadness😓
➡️Improving inhibition🙂
➡️Improving tolerance for light and noise🤩
➡️Improving ability to participate in activities🥳 www.rehablab.ca
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Melissa Biscardi, aka, the Rehab Lab, is a registered nurse and osteopathic therapist who has dedicated her life to concussion treatment and research. Our concussion rehabilitation strategies are based on recent evidence and thousands of clinical cases. Like a snowflake every concussion is different, and every recovery is difference. We work with people right after injury and also years after injury. The brain is resilient and adaptable, improvement in brain health IS possible! Our concussion rehabilitation may include:
Melissa is one of only a few practitioners trained by the Carrick Institute residing in Toronto. The Carrick Institute is a world renowned education and treatment centre in the United States made famous by Sidney Crosby and other professional athletes who have trusted them for concussion rehabilitation. She has a Master of Science from the University of Toronto which focused on women with persistent symptoms following concussion. If that isn’t enough, Melissa has co-authored two book chapters on brain injury, as well as published numerous journal articles. Access these here: https://www.rehablab.ca/publications
Melissa collaborates with other health professionals, researchers and educators to ensure the best outcomes for patients and a safe and evidence based return to work, learn, play and life.
As one patient put it:
“Before I saw Melissa, I was struggling with extreme headaches, dizziness and nausea post-concussion. During my first visit, Melissa provided me with so much information about concussions, along with tools to decrease my symptoms. Within a few weeks, my dizziness and nausea went away, thanks to the personalized exercises Melissa sent me home with. Before my first visit, I was feeling incredibly deflated, as no doctor was providing me with practical solutions to address my symptoms. If you are reading this and have suffered from a concussion, I urge you to see Melissa!”
