Concussion Rehab · In person in Irvine · Telehealth across California
Weeks later and still not yourself?
Lingering symptoms after a concussion are common — and treatable. Concussion recovery is a specialty here, not a sideline, and you'll work one-on-one with Dr. Patel or Dr. Palkhiwala.
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What lingering concussion symptoms look like
If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place:
- Headaches that keep coming back
- Brain fog or slowed thinking
- Hard to concentrate for long
- Screens wear you out
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Sensitive to light and noise
- Worn out by early afternoon
- Neck pain or stiffness
- Overwhelmed in busy places
- Sleep that doesn't refresh you
If you checked even a few — that's common, and it's treatable.
Why am I still dizzy after a concussion?
"Rest and wait" works for many concussions. When it doesn't, there's usually a reason — and the reason is rarely the concussion itself. Lingering symptoms most often come from systems the injury knocked out of tune: the vision system, the inner ear's balance system, the neck, and your tolerance for exertion. Each one can drive headaches, fog, and dizziness — and each responds to specific, targeted treatment.
That's why more rest so often goes nowhere. Post-concussion syndrome is usually a multi-system problem, and complex, stacked cases are exactly the work we've built this practice around. The first step is finding out which systems are involved in yours.
The method
What treatment actually looks like
Vision & vestibular retraining
Precise exercises that recalibrate how your eyes and inner ear work together — often the hidden driver behind fog, dizziness, and screen fatigue.
Guided exertion therapy
A measured, monitored return to exercise that rebuilds your tolerance step by step — raising what you can handle without setting symptoms off.
Neck & headache treatment
Hands-on care for the neck, one of the most common — and most missed — drivers of persistent headaches after a head injury.
Your return plan
A staged path back to school, sport, or work, with clear markers for moving forward — so you're never guessing what's safe.
Visit one
Your first visit, step by step
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We listen first
The full story: your injury, your symptoms, what you've already tried. You won't be repeating it to someone new later.
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A thorough evaluation
We test vision, balance, the neck, and exertion tolerance to find which systems are actually driving your symptoms.
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A plain-English explanation
We show you what we found and why you're still not better. No jargon, no mystery.
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Your plan, from day one
Treatment starts the same visit. You leave with a written plan and exercises you can do at home this week.
Care in Irvine — or anywhere in California
In person, by video, or a mix of the two — either way, you're working with the same two doctors.
In person — Irvine
Full hands-on evaluation and treatment at our clinic — the right call when neck work and balance testing matter most.
Telehealth — all of California
A concussion specialist by telehealth, anywhere in California: guided assessment, exercise progression, and coaching on your plan — live, by video.
Hybrid
Many patients start in person, then progress by video — or the reverse. We'll recommend the mix that fits your case.
Not sure telehealth fits your case? That's a one-question phone call — call us.
Dr. Patel & Dr. Palkhiwala
Concussion and vestibular recovery is our focus — you'll work with one of us, one-on-one, at every visit.
Getting back
Back to school, sport, and work
Returning too fast risks a setback; waiting too long has costs of its own. A staged, monitored return takes the guesswork out of both.
Return to learn
- Short, tolerable stretches of reading and screen time
- Half days at school, with breaks built in
- Full days, accommodations tapering as symptoms allow
- Full workload — tests, homework, and screens included
Return to play
- Light aerobic activity that doesn't provoke symptoms
- Sport-specific movement — drills, no contact
- Full-speed practice, then controlled contact
- Cleared for game day, with confidence
Working adults need a return-to-work plan too: screens, meetings, focus, and stamina are physical demands after a concussion. We build your progression around the job you actually do.
Parents: you don't have to referee this alone. We run the graded return-to-play protocol with school and coaches, and say plainly when it's too soon.
Cash-pay, and worth it
- A full hour, one-on-one with your doctor
- One visit a week — not two or three
- Superbill provided for possible insurance reimbursement
- HSA and FSA accepted
- No referral needed to start in California
Questions we hear every week
Most concussions resolve within a few weeks. When symptoms last longer, it usually means specific systems — vision, inner ear, neck, exertion tolerance — need targeted treatment rather than more rest. We can't promise a timeline, because every case is different. What we can do is identify what's driving your symptoms and give you a clear, staged plan from the first visit.
No. California's direct access law lets you start concussion treatment without a physician referral — you can simply call us. If your case needs a physician's input along the way, we'll say so and coordinate with your doctor. Many patients come to us on referral too; we're glad to work alongside the rest of your care team.
They do different jobs, and many patients benefit from both. A neurologist rules out serious injury and manages the medical side. A concussion-trained physical therapist treats the systems that keep symptoms going — vision, vestibular, neck, exertion — with active, hands-on rehabilitation. If you've been medically cleared but you're still not better, that gap is exactly what we treat.
No. Persistent symptoms months — even years — after a concussion are the patients we see most. People searching for post-concussion syndrome treatment in Orange County have usually been told to rest and wait; lingering symptoms don't mean permanent ones, and treatment can start at any point once we find which systems are involved. Call us — we'll tell you honestly whether your case fits what we do.
We're out-of-network, so we don't bill insurance directly. You pay us, and we give you a superbill to submit to your plan — many plans reimburse part of out-of-network care. HSA and FSA funds work here too. What you get in exchange: a full hour, one-on-one with a doctor, once a week. Call and we'll walk through the numbers honestly.
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Need us sooner? Call (949) 850-2885
There's a path back from this
Call to schedule your evaluation. No referral needed in California — and if we're not the right fit, we'll say so.
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