Balance and Concussion Therapy Center LLC

09/08/2026

When in doubt, sit them out — no exceptions for the score, the scout in the stands, or the last game of the season.

If your child shows any of these after a hit — dazed or confused, slow to get up, headache, nausea, or just "not feeling right" — that's your sign. Pull them from play.

Here's the part that surprises a lot of parents: a concussion is a real brain injury, even when it doesn't show up on a standard CT or MRI. "Normal imaging" doesn't mean nothing happened.

Something seem off after a hit? Get evaluated early — the sooner we start, the smoother the recovery.

📍 Hackensack, NJ | Bergen County
(551) 888-2282 | [email protected]

09/04/2026

🧠 TWO WEEKS TO GO: Meet the full panel for Concussion Awareness Day 2026.

This September 17 marks our 10th year bringing NJ clinicians, patients, and families together for real, evidence-informed conversation about concussion — not sensationalized, not oversimplified.

This year's panel:
🎙️ Cynthia Ryan — Lead Moderator, Executive Director, Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA)
🧠 Dr. Bridget Mayer, PsyD — Senior Neuropsychologist, Princeton Neuropsychology / Sports Concussion Center of NJ
⚕️ Dr. Felicia Gliksman, DO, MPH, FAAN — Director, Pediatric & Adult Concussion Program, Hackensack University Medical Center
🏃 Dr. Spiridoula "Doula" Riley, PT, DPT, MBA, ATC — Center Manager, Kessler Rehabilitation Center – Bridgewater
🩺 Dr. Danit Macklin, PT, DPT — Founder, NJ Concussion Awareness Day; Director, Balance & Concussion Therapy Center
🙋‍♀️ Helena Esmonde, PT, DPT, NCS — Q&A Lead & Backup Moderator, Co-Founder & Chief Clinical Officer, Vestibular First

Six specialists, six different vantage points on concussion care — pediatric neurology, neuropsychology, athletic training, vestibular rehab, and moderation from two of the field's most recognized voices. One evening built around the questions patients and providers are actually asking.

Free. Virtual. September 17 at 7 PM. Two weeks out — grab your spot before it fills.

📍 Hackensack, NJ | serving Bergen County
🔗 Register free — link in bio

NJ's first & only PT practice solely dedicated to concussion & vestibular rehab — now celebrating 10 years. Whole-person care, not a checklist. Dr. Danit Macklin PT, DPT. 📍 Hackensack, NJ

09/02/2026

One of the things I check on every concussion eval: does the dizziness pattern actually match the story?

Most of the time, it does. But every so often, a patient describes classic concussion symptoms — until we get to positional testing, and suddenly rolling over in bed or looking up at a shelf sets off a spinning sensation that's a different kind of dizzy than the rest of their symptoms.

That's a red flag worth chasing — not because something's wrong, but because it usually means there are two things going on, not one. In cases like this, we're often looking at BPPV (a mechanical inner-ear issue) riding alongside the concussion — and BPPV is one of the few dizziness causes that can often be resolved in a single visit with the right repositioning maneuver.

This is exactly why we don't treat "dizziness" as one thing. The eval has to ask what kind of dizzy, and when — because the answer changes the plan.

📍 Hackensack, NJ | Bergen County

09/01/2026

Concussion recovery isn't just about resting the body — it's about protecting the brain enough to actually heal, and that includes the classroom.

Return-to-learn is a gradual, symptom-guided process — not a single "cleared" moment.

Accommodations can look like:
📚 Shortened school days or reduced workload
🕶️ Breaks from screens, bright lights, or noisy hallways
⏳ Extended time on tests and assignments
🧠 A quiet space to rest if symptoms flare
📈 A staged return to full academic load as tolerance builds

Every child's brain injury is different, so the plan should be too. If your child took a hit and school is starting to feel like too much, we can help build a return-to-learn plan that actually fits them.

📍 Hackensack, NJ | Bergen County

08/28/2026

Friday night lights are back. This week, high school football kicks off across Bergen County and NJ — which means concussion season kicks off with it.

A few reminders for parents and coaches heading into the season:
🏈 A concussion doesn't require loss of consciousness to be serious
🏈 "Looking fine" 5 minutes after a hit doesn't mean the brain is fine
🏈 Return-to-play should be gradual and symptom-guided — not rushed because there's a game Friday
🏈 The right rehab team makes recovery faster AND safer, not just more cautious

If your athlete takes a hit this season, we're here — vestibular- and concussion-specialized care, built around getting them back safely, not just quickly.

And while we're on the topic: registration is open for Concussion Awareness Day 2026 — our free panel discussion + live Q&A on Sept 17. Link in bio. 🧠

📍 Hackensack, NJ | Bergen County

08/26/2026

If you've been bounced between doctors for dizziness or brain fog after a head injury, here's what's actually happening behind the scenes.

Most primary care doctors and neurologists are excellent at ruling out the emergencies — bleeds, strokes, structural damage. What they're not trained to do is treat the vestibular and concussion-specific impairments that are often the actual reason you still feel off.

That's not a knock on your doctor — it's a gap in the system. It's exactly why we built our care model around being the "quarterback": coordinating with your physicians, filling in the piece they're not trained to treat, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.

If your workup came back "normal" and you still don't feel right, that's not the end of the road. It's usually where we start.

And if you want to go deeper on this exact topic — how coordinated care actually works, from both the patient and provider side — join us for Concussion Awareness Day 2026 on Sept 17. Free, virtual panel + live Q&A, open to patients, families, and providers alike. Link in bio. 🧠

📍 Hackensack, NJ | Bergen County

08/24/2026

Dizzy again and blaming it on stress? Stress can absolutely make you feel off — but if dizziness keeps showing up, it deserves a real look, not a shrug.

Signs it might be more than stress:
🔹 It happens with position changes — rolling in bed, standing up, looking up at a shelf
🔹 It comes with a headache, neck tension, or visual "fog"
🔹 It's been going on for weeks, not just a rough day
🔹 Rest isn't fixing it — if anything, avoiding movement is making it worse

At BCTC we specialize in BOTH vestibular AND concussion care, so we're trained to catch what a general workup can miss. Your dizziness has a source — let's find it and treat it, not manage around it.

📍 Hackensack, NJ | serving Bergen County

08/21/2026

The New York Times recently profiled vestibular migraine — calling it "the most common disease you've never heard of."

Nearly 3% of people have it. Only about 1 in 10 are correctly diagnosed. 😳

It can cause intense dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance — often without a headache at all, which is exactly why it gets missed, mislabeled, or written off as "just anxiety."

If dizziness has been part of your life for months and nobody's found an answer, this might be the missing piece. It's real, it's common, and it's treatable — including right here in Hackensack. 🧠💙

Send this to someone who's been dizzy without answers.

08/19/2026

'Are you nervous?' Technically… always. 😉

Your nervous system runs everything — balance, movement, vision, even how loud the world feels.

So when someone's spent months dizzy or off-balance, that system can shift into a protective fight-or-flight mode — making ordinary movement, light, or noise feel bigger than it is.

Ever wonder why a simple exercise suddenly feels impossible to tolerate? Sometimes it's not the exercise — it's the nervous system doing exactly what it thinks it should.

This isn't "just anxiety" and it isn't fixed by willpower. It's physiology — and it responds to the right graded approach. 🧠💙

08/14/2026

🧠 SAVE THE DATE: Concussion Awareness Day returns Thursday, September 17 at 7 PM — virtual & free.

Since 2016, we've brought clinicians, patients, and families together for honest conversation about concussion — evidence-informed, not sensationalized. This year: a 1-hour panel discussion tackling the questions patients and providers are actually asking, followed by a live 30-minute audience Q&A.

Meet our full panel:
🎙️ Moderated by Cynthia Ryan, Executive Director, Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA)
🧠 Dr. Bridget Mayer, Psy.D. — Senior Neuropsychologist, Princeton Neuropsychology at RSM & Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey
⚕️ Dr. Felicia Gliksman, DO, MPH, FAAN — Director, Pediatric & Adult Concussion Program, Hackensack University Medical Center
🩺 Dr. Danit Macklin, PT, DPT — Director, Balance & Concussion Therapy Center; Founder, NJ Concussion Awareness Day
🙋‍♀️ Q&A led by Helena Esmonde, PT, DPT, NCS — Co-Founder & Chief Clinical Officer, Vestibular First
🏃‍♀️ Dr. Spiridoula "Doula" Riley, PT, DPT, MBA, ATC — Center Manager, Kessler Rehabilitation Center – Bridgewater

Held the evening before September 18 — New Jersey's state-designated Concussion Awareness Day (Title 36) and National Concussion Awareness Day, observed together every year on the third Friday of September. Mark your calendar now — link in bio for updates. 📅