Feeling nauseous after a concussion can be uncomfortable and frustrating, particularly when it affects your appetite, daily activities or ability to return to work, study or exercise.
Nausea is a recognised symptom following a concussion and may occur alongside dizziness, headaches, visual disturbances and difficulties with balance.
At Triskelion Concussion Care and Osteopathy in Christchurch, I take a personalised approach to understanding concussion-related symptoms. By looking at how different systems in the body may be contributing to your symptoms, I can help guide appropriate treatment and rehabilitation to support your recovery.
Nausea following a concussion can have several possible causes. The brain plays an important role in coordinating balance, vision, movement and the body’s response to its surroundings. When these systems are affected by an injury, you may experience feelings of sickness or nausea.
Some of the systems that may contribute include:
The vestibular system, located within the inner ear, works with the brain and eyes to help you maintain balance and understand movement.
Following a concussion, this system may not work as efficiently, leading to dizziness, motion sensitivity and nausea. You may notice symptoms when turning your head, walking, moving through busy environments or travelling in a car.
The neck contains muscles and joints with important sensory information that helps the brain understand the position and movement of your head.
An injury involving the head and neck can affect these signals and may contribute to headaches, dizziness and discomfort. In some people, neck-related symptoms may occur alongside nausea.
Your eyes and vestibular system work closely together to help you focus and maintain balance while moving.
After a concussion, visual difficulties can develop, including sensitivity to movement, difficulty focusing or discomfort when using screens. These changes may contribute to nausea, particularly when reading, scrolling or moving through busy environments.
The autonomic nervous system helps regulate automatic body functions, including digestion, heart rate and breathing.
Following a concussion, changes in how the nervous system regulates these functions may contribute to symptoms such as nausea, fatigue and difficulty tolerating physical activity.
Understanding which systems may be involved is an important part of planning appropriate concussion care.
The first step is understanding what may be contributing to your nausea. As different systems can be involved, treatment needs to be guided by an individual assessment rather than using the same approach for everyone.
Depending on your symptoms and assessment findings, your management may include:
Vestibular rehabilitation
Specific exercises may help improve balance, coordination and tolerance to movement when the vestibular system is contributing to your symptoms.
Neck assessment and osteopathic treatment
Where appropriate, I may use gentle hands-on osteopathic techniques to address associated neck discomfort, muscle tension and restricted movement.
Visual and movement-related strategies
If visual sensitivity or difficulty tolerating movement is contributing to nausea, appropriate exercises or referral to another healthcare professional may be recommended.
Individualised recovery guidance
I can help you identify activities that aggravate your symptoms and develop a gradual approach to returning to everyday activities, work and exercise.
My aim is to understand the factors contributing to your symptoms and help you progress with a treatment and rehabilitation plan suited to your needs.
At Triskelion Concussion Care and Osteopathy, I provide individualised concussion assessment and rehabilitation in Christchurch.
I take time to understand your symptoms and how they are affecting your everyday life. My assessment may include looking at your neck, balance, movement, visual symptoms and tolerance to activity.
I then use these findings to guide an appropriate management plan, which may include osteopathic treatment, rehabilitation exercises and advice to support your recovery.
If further assessment or input from another healthcare professional is needed, I can help coordinate this with your GP or other members of your healthcare team, with your consent.
You can book an appointment with me to discuss your symptoms and begin appropriate rehabilitation support, while I communicate relevant assessment findings with your GP where needed.
Yes. Nausea can occur following a concussion, sometimes alongside dizziness, headaches, visual disturbances and sensitivity to movement. Symptoms vary between individuals and may develop immediately or over the following hours or days.
Recovery varies from person to person. Some people find their nausea settles within a few days, while others experience symptoms for several weeks or longer.
If nausea persists, worsens or affects your ability to manage everyday activities, it is important to seek further medical advice and have your recovery assessed.
Osteopathic treatment can form part of a wider concussion management plan, particularly when associated neck discomfort, restricted movement or muscle tension is contributing to your symptoms.
I assess each person individually and consider whether osteopathic treatment is appropriate. Where vestibular, visual or other issues are identified, additional rehabilitation or referral may be needed.
If you are experiencing nausea, dizziness or other ongoing symptoms following a head injury, I would be happy to discuss how I may be able to help.
At Triskelion Concussion Care and Osteopathy in Christchurch, I provide personalised concussion care focused on understanding your symptoms and supporting your recovery.
Book an appointment or get in touch to discuss your symptoms.