#78 Sensorimotor Dysfunction and What Clinicians Miss After Concussion | Dr. Julia Treleaven

Concussion Corner®

Sensorimotor Dysfunction & the Cervical Spine: What Clinicians Miss After Concussion | Dr. Julia Treleaven Part I
🧠 Welcome to the Concussion Corner Podcast®, your trusted resource for interdisciplinary conversations related to all things concussion-related in healthcare, advocacy, and sport.
🥼 Hosted by Dr. Jessica Schwartz PT, DPT, CSCS, a doctor of Physical Therapy and brain injury survivor, who is unapologetically passionate about educating healthcare professionals about concussion, examination, intervention, collaboration, & advocacy.
🎙️Concussion Corner Podcast® is our Free Open Access Medical Education #FOAMed portion of our 24 weeks of educational programming at Concussion Corner Academy®. We're so happy that you're here!
🎓 Concussion Corner Academy® has two courses, Concussion: The Patient Rehabilitation Journey Part I & Part II, which has 30 hours of continuing education credits for each course for PT, OT, and ATC in all 50 United States. We’ve served hundreds of healthcare professionals all over the world and across all professions. We’re truly interdisciplinary and interactive across all aspects of our programming!
🔗 Visit us at https://www.concussioncorner.org to learn more about how you can join our #TeachOneServeMany community!
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In this Episode:
🎙️ When it comes to post-concussion rehabilitation, the cervical spine is frequently under-assessed despite its critical role in symptom generation and persistence. In Episode 1 of the Concussion Corner Podcast® , we’re joined by Dr. Julia Treleaven, an internationally recognized researcher and clinician, to explore how dysfunction of the cervical spine contributes to persistent post-concussion symptoms through disrupted sensorimotor control, proprioception, and impaired head-eye coordination.
🧠 Dr. Treleaven highlights the importance of the superior colliculus, a midbrain structure that integrates visual, vestibular, and cervical proprioceptive inputs. Disruption in these systems, particularly from whiplash-associated or traumatic cervical spine injuries, can result in symptoms like dizziness, postural instability, and blurred vision that are often misattributed solely to brain injury and/or concussion.
🩻 We also tackle common clinical oversights in concussion care, such as failing to differentiate between vestibular and cervicogenic dizziness or relying too heavily on passive rest. Dr. Treleaven walks us through practical strategies for differential diagnosis and explains how early, targeted cervical interventions can significantly improve patient outcomes. Whether you’re a PT, OT, ATC, OD, or MD, this episode offers a compelling reminder that comprehensive concussion care must include a clear understanding of the cervical spine.
🎓 Ready to dive deeper? Dr. Treleaven returns as faculty this fall for Concussion: The Patient Rehabilitation Journey Part II. Join our September 2025 cohort and learn from Dr. Treleaven and our full interdisciplinary team live and online.
👉 Enroll now at www.ConcussionCorner.org
📄 #FOAMed Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
🔗 Effectiveness of adding rehabilitation of cervical related sensorimotor control to manual therapy and exercise for neck pain: A randomized controlled trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36414518/
🔗 The efficacy of manual therapy and exercise for treating non-specific neck pain: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28826164/
🔗 Effects of Multimodal Interventions on Patients with Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40139494/
00:00 Understanding the Cervical Spine's Role in Concussion
03:37 The Importance of the Superior Colliculus
06:10 Clinical Errors in Concussion Rehabilitation
09:58 Differential Diagnosis: Recognizing Cervical Spine Involvement
12:29 The Impact of Early Treatment on Patient Outcomes
14:54 Future Directions in Cervical Spine Research
17:28 The Importance of Interdisciplinary Education in Concussion Care
21:46 Concussion Corner Podcast® Outro
A Word From Our Sponsor:
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*This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and should not be confused for medical advice. Please reach out to your medical team or call 911 if this is an emergency*