Following a concussion, cognitive challenges may arise with attention, concentration, being easily distracted, brain fog, and memory problems. This is common and can negatively impact your daily function.
Apps will not remediate the problems but can help you improve your function in daily tasks while your brain is healing and you are undergoing concussion rehabilitation. These are some of the best Apps to explore after a concussion if you have difficulties with cognitive activities.
BrainHQ
BrainHQ is based on 30 years of research in neuroscience and brain health. It is a training system that comprehensively improves brain performance, from the most essential elements of perception through the most complex aspects of memory, attention and cognitive function.
Each exercise adapts to your performance and gets more challenging as your performance improves. It is designed to fit in your spare time and can be done for as little as 5 minutes up to a complete workout of 1 hour.
Price: $13.99/month (some free exercises).
https://www.brainhq.com/?v4=true&fr=y#
CT Speech and Cognitive Therapy
Speech-language pathologists developed this app to encourage brain injury patients to practice the exercises and activities to stimulate the brain and promote adaptive changes.
Every concussion is unique and will affect different functions depending on its location. The CT Speech and Cognitive Therapy App includes over 100,000 therapy exercises that target a variety of speech and cognitive skills, such as:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
- Comprehension
- Attention
- Memory
- Visual processing
- Problem-solving
- Executive functioning
It even adapts to your ability level to ensure you’re given the proper challenge to keep you motivated. This app is backed by 70 studies validating the clinical evidence behind the exercises and 17 peer-reviewed research studies.
Price: $29.99/month.
https://constanttherapyhealth.com/constant-therapy/
Spaced Retrieval Therapy App
It has been found that spatial retrieval is one of the most effective ways to improve short-term memory. This method involves memorizing a fact, waiting one minute, quizzing yourself, then waiting five minutes and quizzing yourself again and so on.
As you quiz yourself at longer intervals, you cement the information into your memory. The problem is that many concussion patients with memory problems struggle to remember when to quiz themselves.
This is where the app can help. Simply enter the information you want to remember into the app, and the app will send you prompts and alerts when it’s time to quiz yourself. This will help you remember the information better. This is then meant to transfer to real life in recalling information at various times and strengthening that cognitive ability.
Price: $4.99
https://tactustherapy.com/app/srt/
CanPlan
Sometimes, individuals can struggle with their reading comprehension skills after a concussion, so the University of Victoria developed this app to help. CanPLan is a planning app that helps break any task down into illustrated, easy-to-follow steps. This includes visual, text and audio prompting. In addition to reminders and scheduling. This allows for task sequencing, categorization, prompting, and scheduling.
Price: free, however in-app purchases.
https://www.canassist.ca/EN/main/programs/our-technologies/museum/canplan.html
Headspace
This app focuses on daily meditations, sleep sounds and meditations, stress relief and coping, one-on-one coaching and mental health support, self-care tools, tension relief, finding focus and daily reminders.
There are over 500+ guided meditations, from 3-minute mental resets to longer sessions. There is also one-on-one coaching and mental health support. This includes texts to your mental health coach that can provide personalized care.
Price: $17.99/month
https://www.headspace.com/subscriptions?origin=navigation
YouTube
YouTube can be a valuable resource for cognitive tools. You can find yoga routines, guided
meditation, educational videos, and symptom management tips. In addition, some memory and concentration videos can be useful, which look at visual memory and delayed recall.
Some key searches that can help find these videos include visual memory, yoga routine, guided meditation, delayed recall, and focused tasks.
Cost: Free
Conclusion
These apps offer a range of tools to support cognitive rehabilitation after a concussion. Whether you want to improve memory, attention, or daily task management, an app can help you recover in addition to any other concussion rehabilitation you are doing. A proper rehabilitation plan and the right tools can make a significant difference in regaining cognitive functions after a concussion.
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