Concussion Center evaluates Bridgeton patients after a head injury from a crash, a fall or a workplace accident. That holds with or without a blackout, and even after a normal CT. Being seen early puts a real exam on the record. It also catches the vestibular and oculomotor problems that respond well to treatment.
Of everywhere we serve, Bridgeton is the shortest trip. The office sits just east of it on Woodson Rd, inside the same airport and I-70 corridor — which is also where a good share of the crashes that send us patients happen.
Why get evaluated soon after a head injury?
The usual advice after a head injury with a normal scan is to rest and see how it goes. For most people that is fine. The cost lands on the minority for whom it is not. That is because the weeks spent waiting become a documented gap in care. And a gap gets read as evidence that nothing much happened.
Being evaluated early does two things at once. It puts a real exam on the record close to the injury. And it catches the vestibular and oculomotor problems that respond well to treatment and badly to being ignored.
Can a crash cause a concussion without hitting your head or blacking out?
- You do not need to have hit your head on anything — forces passed through the body are enough, which is why whiplash mechanisms produce concussions
- You do not need to have blacked out; that is the exception, not the rule
- A normal CT in the emergency department is a test for bleeding, not for concussion
- Symptoms that start a day or two later still count
See concussion without loss of consciousness for what the evidence actually shows.
What if the head injury happened at work?
The area around Bridgeton is warehousing, freight and airport work. A fall or a struck-by injury at work raises the same record-keeping problem as a crash. The difference is that an employer’s insurance carrier is attached to it. The exam is the same; the reporting has to be cleaner. See building the record.
Related reading: concussion treatment for Florissant, MO patients and concussion treatment for Clayton, MO patients.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 4-hour rule for concussion?
It refers to the watch period some protocols use after a head injury. The aim is to watch for any decline that would point to bleeding rather than concussion. It is a safety screen, not a diagnostic test — getting through four hours without decline does not mean no concussion occurred.
How soon after a car accident should I be seen for a head injury?
As soon as you notice something is wrong. Emergency care is for danger signs. A concussion assessment is a separate step, and there is no benefit to delaying it. Waiting mainly creates a gap that is hard to explain later.
What if the emergency room already told me I was fine?
They told you that you were not bleeding into your skull. That is the question they were asking, and an important one. It is not the same as ruling out a concussion. See diagnosis and testing.
Does the brain fully recover after a concussion?
For most people, rest and time are enough. The minority who do not recover on their own are the ones hurt by waiting. That is because the weeks without care become a documented gap. That gap gets read as evidence nothing much happened. An early exam catches the vestibular and oculomotor problems that respond well to treatment and badly to being ignored.
How long does a concussion last after a car accident?
It varies, and the clock does not always start at the crash. Symptoms that begin a day or two later still count. Most people improve with rest. If you are not improving, stop waiting. An evaluation puts a real exam on the record close to the injury. It finds the vestibular and oculomotor problems that treatment can address.
How do I get to Concussion Center from Bridgeton?
Concussion Center
4477 Woodson Rd, Suite 105, St. Louis, MO 63134
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Bridgeton adjoins the office to the west — for most Bridgeton addresses this is a short drive east on St. Charles Rock Rd or Natural Bridge.