“It’s been months — and I’m still not right.”
Burlington Concussion Clinic — Gentle, Medication‑Free Treatment for Post‑Concussion Syndrome
Still battling headaches, brain fog, dizziness, neck pain, or sleep problems weeks or even months after a head injury? You are not imagining it, and “waiting it out” is not your only option. Dr. Ernest Geid offers hands-on, medication-free osteopathic care for patients across Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Milton, and the Halton Region.
What’s the difference between a concussion and post‑concussion syndrome?
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a blow, bump, or jolt — and you do not need to lose consciousness to have one. Most people recover fully within two to four weeks. But for an estimated 10–15% of patients, symptoms persist beyond four weeks. That is post-concussion syndrome (PCS), and without targeted care it can last for months.
Around Burlington and Hamilton we most often see it after car accidents on the QEW or Highway 6, hockey, football and cycling injuries, and falls at work or at home. The symptoms are real, measurable, and — importantly — often treatable at this stage.
Two recoveries — which line are you on?
If your symptoms have lasted beyond about four weeks, you may be on the amber line. That is exactly the situation this clinic focuses on. Take the free self-assessment to see where you fit.
Why symptoms linger — and why a hands-on approach helps
When symptoms outlast the expected recovery window, the explanation usually involves more than the original brain injury. Three mechanisms keep post-concussion symptoms going — and all three respond to gentle, direct treatment.
1 · A concussion is never just the head
A blow, a fall, or a sudden stop — in a car, on the ice, on the stairs. The head does not need to be struck directly, and you do not need to black out.
Step 1: the impact. Step 2: the same force that shakes the brain also strains the neck. Step 3: weeks later, the upper neck, the cranial base, and an over-alert nervous system — not the brain injury itself — are often what keeps symptoms going.
2 · Tap a symptom — see where it can come from
Often cervicogenic — driven by the neck
Persistent headaches
Headaches that persist after concussion frequently arise from strained joints and tissue in the upper neck — this is called cervicogenic headache. Gentle manual treatment of the neck may help by restoring normal movement and easing the tissue driving the pain.
Read all symptoms as a list
- Persistent headaches — often cervicogenic (neck-driven). Gentle manual treatment of the upper neck may help by restoring movement and easing strained tissue.
- Brain fog & poor concentration — linked to a nervous system stuck on alert and disturbed sleep. Treatment aims to calm the stress response so thinking can clear.
- Dizziness & balance problems — the upper neck feeds position sense to the brain; when strained it can produce cervicogenic dizziness. Manual therapy is an established approach for this.
- Light & noise sensitivity — a hallmark of an over-activated stress response. Gentle, non-exertional treatment is designed to be tolerable even on sensitive days.
- Jaw & facial tension — the jaw shares muscles and nerves with the upper neck; treating both together may ease facial pressure and tension headaches.
- Neck pain & stiffness — the most direct sign of the whiplash component. Hands-on osteopathic treatment addresses it directly.
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) — can accompany neck and cranial-base strain after head injury; addressed as part of whole-picture treatment.
- Sleep problems — a fight-or-flight pattern makes deep sleep hard. Patients often report calmer sleep as the nervous system settles.
- Fatigue — running on high alert is exhausting. As the system settles and sleep improves, energy tends to follow.
- Mood changes — irritability, anxiety and low mood commonly accompany PCS; a calmer nervous system supports a steadier mood. Persistent mood symptoms also deserve your physician’s attention.
3 · After an injury, the nervous system can get stuck on alert
After a concussion, the nervous system can get stuck here — sustaining poor sleep, anxiety, light and noise sensitivity, and fatigue.
What the research says
Honest, measured, and encouraging: a retrospective study of patients with persistent post-concussion symptoms found that a large share had a treatable neck component, and that hands-on treatment of the cervical spine produced meaningful improvements in pain and function (Kennedy et al., 2017). A 2019 case series in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that 90% of referred patients with lingering symptoms had a neck problem contributing to them (JOSPT, 2019). And a 2020 study in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine reported that patients receiving osteopathic manipulative treatment after concussion showed significantly reduced symptom number and severity compared with education alone. Manual therapy is also an established, evidence-supported approach for cervicogenic headache and dizziness.
What treatment does not do: no manual therapy cures a concussion or guarantees recovery. Treatment here is conservative, evidence-informed, and complementary to your physician’s care — never a replacement for it.
How Dr. Geid treats concussion & PCS
Manual osteopathy · lead modality
Hands-on treatment of the cervical spine — a primary driver of persistent headaches and dizziness after concussion. Releases fascial restriction around the cranial base and upper neck, restores mobility and position sense, supports circulation and lymphatic flow, and aims to calm an over-activated nervous system.
Craniosacral therapy · gentle complement
An extremely gentle, low-force technique many sensitive patients find calming — suitable even when light, noise, or touch tolerance is low. Offered alongside manual osteopathy when clinically appropriate, as a calming complement rather than a stand-alone cure. Learn more about craniosacral therapy.
Dr. Geid blends both within a single session as appropriate — addressing the neck, the cranial base, and the nervous system together. If you cannot yet tolerate exercise-based rehab, this gentle, non-exertional approach was designed for you.
What actually happens when you book
Free 10-minute consult
Tell Dr. Geid what you’re experiencing, by phone or video. No pressure, no obligation — just an honest read on whether this approach fits your situation.
Full assessment
A thorough, unhurried first session: your history, your neck, your cranial base, your symptom pattern. You leave understanding what is likely driving your symptoms.
Gentle hands-on treatment
Treatment begins in the very first session. Slow, quiet, and low-stimulation — the room is calm and nothing is rushed or forced.
Progress review
Your plan is reviewed against how you actually feel. Follow-ups are shorter and focused, and the goal is always your independence — not endless appointments.
Your concussion osteopath — Dr. Ernest Geid, D.O.
Dr. Geid is a manual osteopath and craniosacral therapist with a subspecialty interest in concussion and post-concussion syndrome — an uncommon combination of hands-on disciplines that lets him address the neck, cranial base, and nervous system within a single treatment. He practises from Queen’s Medical Center on Appleby Line in Burlington — a clinical setting, not a wellness spa — and treats patients from across Halton and Hamilton, minutes from the QEW. He is currently the #1-ranked osteopath in Burlington on RateMDs.
Who this clinic is for
“It’s been months and I’m still not right.”
You rested like you were told. The headaches, fog, or dizziness never fully left. This is the patient this clinic exists for — persistent symptoms are treatable, and rest alone is no longer the answer at this stage.
“Physio or medication didn’t fully work.”
Conventional care helped some, but not enough. Osteopathy addresses the cervical and cranial-base components that exercise-based programs often leave untouched.
Discharged from the ER, still suffering
Sent home from Joseph Brant Hospital with “rest for a week” — and it’s been far longer. Persistent symptoms after an ER concussion diagnosis are the most common story we hear.
Car accident — whiplash + concussion
A collision on the QEW or Highway 403 rarely injures just one thing. Whiplash and concussion together are exactly the combined neck-and-head presentation this approach addresses.
Sports concussion
Hockey, football, soccer, cycling, skiing. When symptoms outlast the return-to-play timeline, the lingering neck and nervous-system components deserve direct attention.
Pediatric concussion
Children and teens — especially after sport. Extremely gentle protocols, with attention to school performance, focus, and mood. A dedicated pediatric session is available.
Not sure if you have post-concussion syndrome?
Answer a few questions about your injury, your symptoms, and how they affect your life. You’ll get an honest read on whether your pattern fits post-concussion syndrome — and what to do next.
Step 1 of 3 — Your injury
1. Did you recently experience a blow, bump, or jolt to your head or body?
2. When did the injury occur?
3. Were you assessed by a doctor, ER, or clinic after the injury?
Check every symptom you are currently experiencing:
How much have your symptoms affected your work or school performance?
How much have they affected daily activities — driving, reading, screens, exercise?
How long have you been experiencing these symptoms since the injury?
What recovery has felt like for others
“After my car accident I had headaches and pressure for months. The treatment was gentler than anything I’d tried, and I finally started sleeping again.”
MVA recovery patient · Burlington
“The dizziness after my concussion made physio impossible for me. This approach was calm and slow, and my balance steadily improved.”
Post-concussion patient · Hamilton
“Dr. Geid explained where my symptoms were coming from better than anyone had in months. I understood my own recovery for the first time.”
PCS patient · Oakville
Testimonials describe individual experiences and do not represent diagnostic claims or guaranteed outcomes.
Ready to start your recovery?
Start with a free, no-pressure 10-minute conversation — or book your full assessment directly. Evening questions? WhatsApp works too.
Prefer to talk? 365-297-7572 · WhatsApp 226-240-8222 · ernest@osteopathyfirst.ca
Osteopathy First
Queen’s Medical Center, Unit C105
666 Appleby Line, Burlington, ON
Minutes from the QEW — easy access from Hamilton, Oakville & Milton, and reachable by GO transit.
Follow-up sessions $95 · Craniosacral full session $170 · Pediatric session $75
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Frequently asked questions
Why do I still have symptoms months after my concussion?
When symptoms last beyond about four weeks, the picture usually involves more than the original brain injury. The same force that shook the brain also strained the neck, and research on persistent post-concussion symptoms has found that many patients have a treatable neck component driving headaches, dizziness and even fogginess. The body’s stress-response system can also stay switched to high alert, which sustains poor sleep, fatigue and light or noise sensitivity. These mechanical and nervous-system contributors do not resolve with rest alone — they respond to being addressed directly. That is the focus of treatment at this clinic.
I tried rest and physiotherapy — what can osteopathy do differently?
Rest is the right first step, and physiotherapy helps many people. When symptoms persist anyway, it is often because the cervical spine, the fascial tissue around the cranial base, and an over-activated nervous system have not been addressed together. Manual osteopathy works hands-on across all three at once, gently and without exertion — which also makes it suitable for patients who found exercise-based rehab hard to tolerate. It complements, and never replaces, your medical care.
Can osteopathy and craniosacral therapy actually help a concussion?
The evidence is encouraging and honest expectations matter. Studies of osteopathic manual treatment for post-concussion headache have reported reductions in symptom number and severity, and manual therapy is an established treatment for cervicogenic headache and dizziness — the neck-driven symptoms common after concussion. Craniosacral therapy is a very gentle complement that many sensitive patients find calming and tolerable; it is offered alongside osteopathy, not as a stand-alone cure. No manual therapy cures a concussion, and treatment here works alongside your physician’s care.
How soon after a concussion should I book?
If your injury is recent (within the first two to four weeks), see your physician or the emergency department first and book only after medical clearance — gentle treatment can then begin early. If your symptoms have already lasted beyond four weeks, you may have post-concussion syndrome, and sooner is genuinely better: the longer symptoms persist untreated, the more established the neck and nervous-system patterns become. A free 10-minute consultation is available if you are unsure where you fit.
How many sessions will I need?
Every recovery is individual, so no honest clinic can promise a number. Many patients with persistent symptoms report noticing improvement within the first several sessions, after which Dr. Geid reviews progress with you and adjusts the plan. Your first full session includes a thorough assessment so the plan is built around your specific presentation. If you would like to discuss your situation before committing, the free 10-minute virtual consultation exists for exactly that.
Is treatment covered by insurance?
Manual osteopathy is covered by many extended health benefit plans; craniosacral therapy coverage varies by insurer and plan. Check your specific policy before booking. Receipts suitable for insurance submission are provided for every session, and the clinic is listed on Lumino Health, Sun Life’s provider directory. Treatment is not covered by OHIP.