University Athlete Bounces Back on the Soccer Field

Posted September 14, 2019
University Athlete Bounces Back on the Soccer Fiel
For university soccer athlete Luke Warkentin, a soccer ball hit to the face during a game was the start of an unexpected 9-month concussion journey. “I was unconscious for a couple of seconds,” says Luke.

About a week after the incident, Luke began to suffer from concussion symptoms such as a headache and sensitivity to light. “I had a lot of trouble with my laptop. I had a lot of irritation from the visual display, and reading off the laptop was really difficult,” says Luke. “I could only do it in 15-minute increments before I felt nauseous and I had a headache come on.”

To cope with his ongoing symptoms, Luke lessened his university courseload in his business management program and also stopped playing soccer.

For 6 months, Luke worked intensively with his university doctor and athletic therapist but his symptoms continued to persist. “Every step I was taking wasn’t really going as planned,” says Luke. “We tried to introduce new exercises or new strategies but nothing was really working. I basically plateaued.”

Luke sought the help of Advance Concussion Clinic where he received care from ACC’s interdisciplinary team who helped him return to soccer, and return to school having optimized systems.

“All of the staff were amazing and the diagnosis process was spot on,” says Luke. “The entire recovery process was excellent.”

ACC’s team of Physiotherapists, Athletic Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Counsellors, and Neuropsychologist worked with Luke on an individualized Return-to-Play program where he successfully recovered in a matter of a few months.

“Coming from always being physically active to not doing anything for 9 months was really stressful,” says Luke. “Finally being able to play again was a really big accomplishment for myself.”

Interdisciplinary Concussion Management

Recovery is possible.