18-year-old Logan Mills’ concussion story isn’t a typical one. Through all his years playing tackle football from a young age, the talented athlete never experienced a hit or blow that raised concern about the possibility of concussion.
Then, this past fall during his senior year as starting linebacker at Ottawa H.S., Logan’s behavior began to change. He experienced frequent headaches and slept more than usual. He became sensitive to light. And he routinely called his mother after the first few hours of the school day, asking if he could go home, often telling his mom he couldn’t wait to be done with school.
This wasn’t the same ambitious student who just the previous summer had taken a college level Emergency Medical Technician course.
“At first we thought maybe he was having a growth spurt or had senioritis,” says Mary Mills, Logan’s mother. “I never once connected the dots and thought it might be a concussion. In all the years playing football, there was never a specific event. We’d always talk after the games, and he always seemed fine.”
Concerned by the changes in her son’s behavior, Mary took Logan to see his physician. Blood work came back normal, and Logan kept playing football. By the end of the season, his symptoms were escalating.
“He was sleeping 12-13 hours a day. He couldn’t focus, and his grades were suffering. I didn’t know what to do,” says Mary.
In a moment of desperation, the Mills took Logan to the emergency room at Morris Hospital. That’s when Logan was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, a condition that likely resulted from multiple injuries to the brain that occurred over time and never completely healed.
After the diagnosis in the emergency room, Logan was referred to Morris Hospital’s Concussion Management Program, which uses a multi-disciplinary, team approach to evaluate, treat, and manage concussions with a goal of helping individuals safely recover from their injury. His initial appointment was with Stefanie Henline, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse with Morris Hospital Neurology Specialists and one of the providers on the Concussion Management team.
“Stefanie was phenomenal and connected with Logan immediately,” recalls Mary. “He was really struggling in school and had fallen behind. Stefanie put together a plan and he said, okay, whatever helps because my headaches have been getting worse.”
The plan included wearing light sensitive glasses, cutting out screen time completely, arranging a reduced schedule with Logan’s school, and completing specialized physical therapy through the Morris Hospital Concussion Management Program.
Twice weekly over the next six weeks, Logan gave 100 percent during the intense physical therapy sessions, which focused on “eye-training” exercises, balance training, and dual tasking. In between therapy sessions, he kept up with exercises the physical therapists gave him to do at home.
After about three weeks, Logan started to experience improvements. And by the time therapy was completed and he had a follow-up appointment with Henline, the improvements were significant.
“At his last appointment, Stefanie said he looked really good,” Mary said just a little over two months after his first physical therapy session. “He still has to avoid any kind of physical activity where he might get bumped or hit, but that’s to give his brain time to rest and heal.”
“His headaches are basically non-existent,” she added. “He’s finishing up his credits for graduation, he works, and his attitude is completely back to normal.”
With high school graduation quickly approaching in May, Logan has his sights set on the next chapter in his life. He is pursuing a paramedic program so he can fulfill his dream of becoming a fire fighter/paramedic just like his dad.
“I don’t think he would have gotten better without the Concussion Management Program,” Mary says. “Logan absolutely loved all of his therapists. They were great to him. It was an amazing program.”
For more information about the Concussion Management Program at Morris Hospital, call 815-942-4506.