A concussion injury is the result of a violent collision between the brain and the inner surface of the skull. This collision results in damage to brain cells and a temporary interruption to normal brain function. Symptoms include headaches, confusion, difficulties with memory and cognition and many other possible signs. Treatment of a concussion involves allowing the brain to rest and recuperate naturally. This in turn requires the patient to avoid mentally taxing activities, as well as activities that can result in further brain injury, for at least 48 hours. You should then recommence normal activities gradually in order to allow the brain to continue its recovery while avoiding recurrence of the injury.
The most typical causes of these injuries (also known as traumatic brain injuries or T.B.I.s) are blows to the head, a fall or violent shaking of the head or upper body.
Although concussions are generally not life threatening, they should be regarded as serious injuries requiring immediate professional medical attention. If you or someone you know experiences an injury that you think may be a concussion, the correct response is to go to the nearest hospital emergency department for an evaluation.
One of the most widespread misconceptions about a traumatic brain injury (T.B.I.) is that it always results in a loss of consciousness. This is incorrect, as many concussions occur without the patient passing out. In fact, because concussion injuries affect the brain, it is quite possible for someone to have one without any external signs of trauma such as bleeding or bruising.
As we have mentioned above, concussions are usually the result of one of the following:
The brain floats inside the skull in a cerebrospinal fluid that helps to cushion it from forceful impact against the inside of the skull. This fluid is dense enough to prevent violent impacts against the inner skull due to normal head movements.
However, it cannot do this in the face of events such as a blow to the head, an uncontrolled fall or violent shaking. These will all result in sharp accelerations or decelerations of the brain relative to the skull and thus to collisions between the two. Impacts such as these can damage brain cells and result in what is officially known as a concussion.
If the collision is exceptionally violent, the brain may suffer bleeding, either inside or on its surface. This is a more serious type of head injury, which can be life threatening.
Doctors define three types of traumatic brain injury, depending on the severity of the symptoms they observe:
The risk factors that increase the likelihood of experiencing a T.B.I. are:
Many of the T.B.I.s that occur in practice are sports related concussions. In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the presence of concussion risk in many sports for which there was not thought to be any risk. As an example, recent studies have pointed out the risk of concussion to soccer players as a result of heading the ball.
Due to the huge number of bodily functions for which the brain is responsible, the signs and symptoms of a T.B.I. may cover a wide range. To make things more complicated, some of the symptoms may not appear immediately after the accident that caused the concussion. Instead, they may appear hours (or even days) afterwards.
Typical symptoms of concussions may include at least some of the following:
Should any of these signs and symptoms be present after an accident that includes a fall or a blow to the head, you should seek immediate medical attention. This is particularly the case if these symptoms continue for more than a few hours or worsen during that time.
The good news is that most individuals who suffer concussions will eventually make a full recovery, if given the appropriate treatment. To ensure the patient receives proper treatment, a prompt diagnosis must be performed by a qualified medical professional.
To carry out a diagnosis, a doctor will do some or all of the following:
To determine whether the patient has experienced a skull fracture or other serious physical injury, the doctor may also request a CT scan or an MRI. Since a CT scan uses X Rays, many doctors are reluctant to use them if the patient is a child, due to the risk of exposure to radiation.
As treatment for a suspected sports related concussion, doctors may recommend that the patient immediately cease participation in the game. In addition, the patient will need to:
Although most people recover from them, concussions are serious injuries. As a result, it is important to know what you can do to reduce the risk of experiencing them in the first place. Since they are usually the result of sudden unexpected accidents, it is difficult to avoid or prevent them entirely. However, you can take the following steps to reduce the risk:
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