At the beginning of the week, patients do an fNCI scan to determine which parts of the brain are not working correctly. We compare their scan to a control group of healthy individuals who have never been injured. From that comparison, we calculate a Severity Index Score (SIS). The 0 marks the average for a person with no brain injury. The further away the score is from 0, the more severe the neurovascular coupling (NVC) dysregulation of the concussion or brain injury. At the end of the week, we do a follow-up fNCI to show and measure improvement for each patient.
Using the fNCI, we have identified five biomarkers, or patterns of abnormal NVC, which is the connection between the brain and the blood, that are consistently irregular in concussion patients. These biomarkers can be used to reliably diagnose concussion and other brain injuries. 88% of those with a concussion will meet at least 3/5 biomarkers, while only 1% of the healthy population meet 3/5 biomarkers.
Each day, patients report their symptoms using the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS). PCSS measures four categories: emotional, thinking, physical, and sleep. At the end of the week, patients receive a graph, that depicts their symptom improvements in these categories.
Cognitive FX has treated over 1000 patients over the last 4 years. Our patients consistently improve based on the root cause of their injury, brain dysfunction, which helps them overcome their symptoms.
On average, our patients improve their brain function 75% during the week of their concussion treatment. Over 77% of our patients improve 60-100% and 43% of our patients improve 80-100% on their Severity Index Score (SIS) as measured by fNCI.
Patient self-reported symptoms also decrease, with an average patient improving 60%. This is a measured with the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS). Over 60% of our patients improve 60-100%, and 33% of our patients improve 80-100% from their symptoms.
Typically, only one week of concussion treatment is needed. However, on rare occasions and if necessary, we can provide additional services. EPIC Treatment is similar to compressing 6 months of treatment into one week, making it more effective than any other treatment approach.
The SIS radar graph shows the Severity Index Score (SIS) of 600 patients. The scale goes from 0-6, with a higher number meaning a more severe injury. Zero-0.8 is considered within normal limits (green), 0.8-1.5 is borderline range of impairment (yellow), and anything above 1.5 is in the mild to moderate impairment range.
As you can see, most patients have SIS scores in the yellow or red before they begin treatment. After EPIC Treatment, you will notice that the majority improve significantly, and most patients are within normal limits.
The PCSS radar graph shows the overall severity of symptoms for every patient we have treated and their improvement after one week. The overall score is on a scale from 0-100, with a higher score meaning more symptoms.
After one week of treatment, patients see a drastic improvement in the symptoms they are experiencing.
This graph analyzes pre- and post-treatment and follow up fNCI of 30 random patients. Follow-up scans were completed up to 3 years after completing treatment at Cognitive FX.
Overall, we see that once a patient's brain improves it stays that way. It is important to also recognize that while some patients may not have completely gotten into the healthy range during treatment, as time goes on and they continue doing exercises, they will continue to get closer to healthy range.
Many patients begin to notice a difference in their symptoms during the week. Patients often see ongoing improvement and continue to progress months after treatment is complete.
On average 80% of our patients do not need to come back for more treatment. Typically, those coming back were re-injured or they did not improve quite as much as they wanted too. We provide support for those in need of additional care. If you are looking for treatment for other conditions we cannot guarantee these same results.
Based on previous research, those who get treatment at Cognitive FX see drastic improvements in brain function. Those who did not come in for treatment did not see improvements in their brain function, see the No EPIC Treatment Patients section of the graph.
Without treatment, you can learn how to compensate for your injury. Your brain is great at adapting and adjusting to do its best to handle the aftermath of an injury. However, compensation is not recovery and patients may see a short-term reduction of symptoms by compensating, but over time they notice that their quality of life has still not improved. Long-term, it is very important to get treatment that addresses the underlying cause of the symptoms, which is brain dysfunction (NVC).
Here you will find answers to the most common questions we are asked about treatment results. Overall, all answers about results are based on our findings published in peer-reviewed research.
In one week, the average improvement for all symptom categories is over 50%. The emotional category improves the most at nearly 70%. This information is based off of our averages for patients self-reporting PCSS.
People of all ages have the same ability to recover. We see little variation between age groups, although the older population has a slightly lower improvement rate. All ages improve at least 70% on average with EPIC Treatment.
Patients experience significant improvement in symptoms regardless of the number of concussions they had. The number of concussions does not predict improvement. Although symptoms are often worse with multiple concussions, it does not affect the ability to recover.
Regardless of how long it has been since the injury, we see comparable improvement in both SIS and PCSS measures. However, patients with a long-term injury have more symptom improvement than more recent injuries. We have treated patients as soon as three weeks after injury, but we have also treated patients who were injured for more than 65 years. It is never too late to get treatment!
Patients who suffer from anxiety, and depression, or other mental health symptoms show no difference in SIS and PCSS improvement compared to those without any mental health conditions. In fact, with EPIC Treatment, the emotional symptoms people experience from an injury improve 69% in one week.
It does not matter whether the injury is caused by sports, a car accident, a fall, or anything else. The rate of improvement is the same for all injury types. Other types of injuries include domestic violence, stroke, loss of oxygen, and other trauma to the brain.
Recent studies have noted that women, on average, are more prone to receive a concussion and that they take longer to recover. Research on this topic is new, and no one has a current explanation for those findings. However, in our research, we do not measure any significant difference between male and female recovery; they both improve a similar amount in their SIS and PCSS scores. Our focus is to treat each patient individually, regardless of gender.
98% of our patients see some improvement during the week of treatment when looking at both SIS and PCSS scores. In fact, we have only ever treated one person who did not improve on their brain scan or fNCI, but their injury was not related to a concussion, it was another neurological disorder. If you are unsure if we can help you we encourage you to schedule a complimentary consultation.
If you are interested in EPIC Treatment please complete this form to receive our new patient paperwork. Be sure to check your email. Once we receive your completed paperwork, we will call you to schedule your complimentary consultation within 3 business days. In this consultation we will review your medical history, answer your specific questions, and discuss how we can meet your needs.