“Everyone Recovers the Same Way”: The Danger of One-Size-Fits-All Concussion Care

Concussion recovery is not the same for everyone. In this blog, Kansas City chiropractor Dr. Lance Stevenson explains why a one-size-fits-all approach can delay healing and how personalized care leads to better outcomes for patients with head injuries.

Lance Stevenson, DC

8/11/20252 min read

“Everyone Recovers the Same Way”: The Danger of One-Size-Fits-All Concussion Care in Kansas City

When it comes to concussions, no two cases are the same. But you wouldn’t know that from the way many patients are treated. Too often, concussion care follows a “one-size-fits-all” approach — generic rest advice, a short return-to-work note, and no follow-up unless symptoms linger for months.

At Lance Stevenson, DC, we treat concussion patients across Kansas City, Shawnee, Leawood, Independence, and Lee’s Summit who’ve been stuck in a recovery rut because they didn’t receive care tailored to their specific injury. Let’s explore why individualized treatment is key — and how generic advice can actually slow healing.

🧠 Why Concussion Symptoms Vary So Much

Concussions affect different systems in different people. Your symptoms might come from:

  • The cervical spine (especially in car accidents)

  • Vestibular dysfunction (balance and motion sensitivity)

  • Visual disturbances (blurred vision, difficulty tracking)

  • Cognitive fatigue or brain fog

  • Autonomic dysregulation (heart rate, blood pressure, lightheadedness)

Some patients recover in days. Others need weeks or months. What works for one person may not work for another — which is why a cookie-cutter approach fails so many patients.

❌ The Risk of Standardized Protocols

When concussion care is too generic, patients may:

  • Be told to rest without active rehab

  • Receive conflicting advice from different providers

  • Try to “push through” symptoms they don’t understand

  • Miss key evaluations for systems like the vestibular or visual pathways

This often leads to persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) that could have been resolved sooner with the right support.

✅ What Personalized Care Looks Like

At our Kansas City clinic, every concussion case is treated as unique. We evaluate:

  • Mechanism of injury (e.g. whiplash vs. sports impact)

  • Which systems are involved

  • Baseline function

  • Personal goals (returning to work, school, or sports)

From there, we build a recovery plan that may include:

  • Cervical spine treatment

  • Vestibular and oculomotor rehab

  • Gradual return to activity

  • Neurocognitive retraining

  • Breathing and autonomic regulation strategies

🌟 You Deserve a Custom Plan

If you’ve been handed the same plan as everyone else — and it’s not working — it’s time for a new approach. At Lance Stevenson, DC, we help patients from Gladstone, Parkville, Blue Springs, and throughout Kansas City get the individualized care they need to finally move forward.

📞 Call 816-226-7476 to schedule your concussion evaluation.
Your recovery is personal — your care should be too.

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