Supporting a safe and sustainable return to work after concussion
Returning to work following a concussion can be challenging. While someone may appear physically well, the demands of a workplace can trigger or exacerbate symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, visual disturbance, fatigue, neck pain, difficulty concentrating, and sensitivity to light or noise.
At Advanced Neuro Rehab, our neurological physiotherapists provide worksite assessments with a particular focus on people recovering from concussion.
We assess the individual within their actual work environment to identify factors that may be contributing to symptoms and provide practical recommendations to support a safe, graded and sustainable return to work.
Advanced Neuro Rehab is a registered provider for Worksite Assessments under code WA130A and also provides SISA services.
What does a concussion worksite assessment involve?
Concussion symptoms can be highly individual and are often influenced by the environment and specific demands of a person’s job.
During a worksite assessment, our physiotherapist considers the person’s current symptoms and abilities alongside the physical, visual, cognitive and environmental demands of their workplace.
Our assessment may consider:
- Lighting: fluorescent lighting, glare, brightness and visually stimulating environments
- Noise: background noise, machinery, conversations and busy environments
- Screens and visual demands: computer use, multiple monitors, scrolling and prolonged screen exposure
- Eye movements: tasks requiring scanning, reading, tracking or frequent changes in visual focus
- Head and neck demands: repetitive head movements, sustained postures and cervical symptoms
- Concentration and cognition: multitasking, complex tasks, meetings and sustained attention
- Fatigue: symptom changes throughout the working day and overall work tolerance
- Physical demands: walking, standing, lifting, carrying and other job-specific activities
- Workstation ergonomics: screen position, seating, desk setup and posture
- Work hours and breaks: tolerance to shift duration and the need for scheduled rest or brain breaks
Importantly, we look at how these factors interact. For example, an individual may tolerate computer work in a quiet clinic environment but experience significant symptoms when completing the same task under fluorescent lighting, with background noise and interruptions in their usual workplace.
Recommendations and suitable duties
Following the assessment, we provide practical recommendations to assist with return-to-work planning.
Depending on the individual’s presentation and workplace, recommendations may include:
- Modified or suitable duties
- Reduced or gradually increasing work hours
- Scheduled rest or brain breaks
- Modification of screen-based tasks
- Changes to lighting or workstation positioning
- Strategies to reduce visual or noise exposure
- Modification of tasks involving repetitive head or eye movements
- Ergonomic recommendations
- Strategies for managing cognitive load and multitasking
- Graded exposure to more challenging workplace tasks
- Progression towards usual duties as symptoms and capacity improve
Our goal is not necessarily to remove all symptom-provoking activities. Where appropriate, we aim to identify manageable modifications and graded exposure strategies that support recovery while progressively building the person’s capacity to participate in their usual work.
Why choose Advanced Neuro Rehab?
Our physiotherapists have experience in concussion, neurological and vestibular rehabilitation, allowing us to assess factors that may not be identified through a traditional physical or ergonomic worksite assessment.
We understand the interaction between concussion symptoms and areas such as vestibular function, vision, balance, cervical function, fatigue and cognitive demands.
By assessing the person within their actual workplace, we can provide recommendations that are specific to both the individual and the demands of their role.
Funding and referral pathways
Advanced Neuro Rehab provides worksite assessment services for clients recovering from concussion and other appropriate workplace injuries.
ReturnToWorkSA: WA130A worksite assessments
Advanced Neuro Rehab is a registered provider of Worksite Assessments under service code WA130A.
This allows us to provide worksite assessments for eligible clients within the South Australian return-to-work system. Our concussion-focused assessments examine the worker’s capacity in relation to their actual job demands and workplace environment, with recommendations provided to support a safe and sustainable return to work.
Self-insured employers: SISA
We can also provide worksite assessment services for clients employed by self-insured organisations.
SISA (Self Insurers of South Australia) represents organisations operating within South Australia’s self-insurance environment. Worksite assessments can form part of rehabilitation and return-to-work services for workers with workplace injuries.
For concussion presentations, our physiotherapists can provide specialised assessment of the physical, vestibular, visual, cognitive and environmental factors that may affect a worker’s ability to safely resume their duties.
Referrals
Referrals for a concussion worksite assessment may come from an insurer, claims manager, return-to-work coordinator, employer or other relevant rehabilitation stakeholder.
If you are unsure whether a worksite assessment is appropriate for your client, please contact the Advanced Neuro Rehab team to discuss the referral.
