Exercise-based concussion solutions, from the onset of injury.
A holistic, team-based approach to concussion recovery — focused not just on getting you back, but on keeping you there.
Exercise-based concussion recovery uses carefully progressed, sub-symptom-threshold physical activity as an active part of recovery, rather than treating extended complete rest as the default. It is delivered as part of a coordinated team that includes medical oversight.
Ben Velazquez is a recognized expert in concussion exercise solutions and leads the program himself. For over 15 years, Ben has worked with the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada, its Executive Director Tim Fleiszer, and military personnel through the foundation’s Operation Brain Health program.
- Delivered by
- Ben Velazquez
- Approach
- Exercise-based, from onset
- Model
- Holistic, multi-disciplinary team
- Populations
- Athletes · military · general
- Contact
- ben@benvelazquez.com
- Languages
- English · Spanish
Concussion is a medical condition. Nothing on this page is medical advice, and this program does not replace assessment, diagnosis or clearance by a qualified physician.
Exercise-based concussion work is delivered as one part of a coordinated team, alongside your medical providers — not instead of them. If you have sustained a head injury, see a physician first. If you are experiencing worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, weakness or numbness, increasing confusion or drowsiness, seek emergency care immediately.
Why exercise, and why early.
The old default for concussion was complete rest until symptoms resolved. Practice has moved on considerably. Carefully dosed, sub-symptom-threshold activity, introduced under supervision and progressed on evidence rather than on a calendar, is now a central part of how concussion is managed.
The word doing the work there is dosed. Too much provokes symptoms and sets recovery back; too little leaves someone deconditioned, isolated and often worse off psychologically. Getting the dose right, and adjusting it continuously, is the entire skill.
That is why this is delivered as a team rather than as a single practitioner. Medical oversight, exercise progression, and the return-to-work or return-to-play decision are three different competencies, and a recovery goes wrong most often at the seams between them.
Frequently asked questions
What is exercise-based concussion recovery?
It is an approach that uses carefully progressed physical activity, kept below the threshold that provokes symptoms, as an active component of concussion recovery. Progression is based on the individual’s response and is supervised, rather than following a fixed calendar.
Does this replace seeing a doctor?
No. Concussion is a medical condition requiring assessment, diagnosis and clearance by a qualified physician. This program is delivered alongside medical care as part of a coordinated team, never in place of it.
When can exercise start after a concussion?
That is a medical decision, made case by case with your physician. Current practice generally favors introducing light, controlled activity earlier than the older complete-rest model allowed, but the specific timing depends on the individual and their clinical picture.
Who is the program for?
Athletes at every level, military personnel — Ben has worked with military personnel through Operation Brain Health with Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada — and anyone recovering from a concussion who wants a structured, supervised return.
Who delivers the concussion program?
Ben Velazquez leads the program directly. He is a recognized expert in exercise-based concussion solutions and coordinates a multi-disciplinary team around each case — working alongside your physician, and drawing on his vetted network of physiotherapy and medical professionals where a recovery needs it. You can reach him at ben@benvelazquez.com.
What does “not just return — but keeping you there” mean?
Returning once is the easier half. The harder half is reducing the likelihood of a repeat injury and managing the load that follows a return, which is where a structured program matters most.
Keep reading
Talk to Ben about a structured recovery.
Tell Ben about the injury and where you are in recovery, and he will explain how the program works alongside your medical care.