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A concussion is a mild form of traumatic brain injury that causes a temporary disturbance in brain cells that can disrupt brain function. The injury is caused by an acceleration or deceleration of the brain that jars or shakes it inside the skull. This can cause a range of physical and/or cognitive symptoms.
A significant hit to the head, neck or face is often the main cause of a concussion injury. However, in some cases, a big blow to the body can create a whiplash effect and send a painful or possibly damaging impact to the head. This can also result in concussion.
Concussions are most commonly reported in contact or high risk sports such as American football, rugby, hockey and gymnastics, for example. Other ways that someone can get a concussion may include:
Sports injury
Car crash
Hit by a car
Slip or fall
Hit or bump to the head
Falling down stairs
This is not an extensive list. The reality is a concussion can happen at any place at any time.
How do I know if I have a concussion?
If you have a mechanism of injury – meaning a significant blow to the head or body – and at least one symptom listed below, you should have a high suspicion of concussion.
Athletes should be immediately removed from play, and must not return until assessed and cleared by a medical doctor or licensed healthcare practitioner with training in concussion management.
Continuing to play can increase the risk for more severe, long-lasting concussion symptoms, and even increase the chance of further injury.
What are the symptoms of concussion?
There are four main categories of concussion symptoms: cognitive / mental; physical; emotional; and sleep-related. Every concussion is unique, and each person may experience symptoms differently.
Remember, you should suspect a concussion if at least one of these symptoms is present following contact. Each case is different. Some people may experience a few of these whereas others may experience many more.
Cognitive
Difficulty thinking
Difficulty remembering
Trouble concentrating
Drowsiness
Physical
Headache
“Pressure in the head”
Vision disturbances
Balance problems and incoordination
Dizzy
Nauseous
Vomiting
Fatigue or lack of energy
Neck pain
Seizure or convulsion
Loss of consciousness
Emotional
Irritable
Angry
Upset
Anxious
Nervousness
More emotional (such as unexplained outbursts of anger or sadness)
Feeling “off” or “slowed down”
Feeling like in a “fog”
Sleep-Related
Changes in sleep patterns
Difficulty falling asleep
Sleeping more or less than usual
Poor sleep quality
Never forget the signs and symptoms of concussion with this free infographic.
Red flags to watch out for!
If any of the below symptoms are present following a big hit to the head or body, immediately go to the nearest emergency room or call emergency services. Presentation of these symptoms increase the likelihood of more serious injuries that need to be looked at right away!
Extreme drowsiness
Loss of consciousness (more than 30 seconds) or cannot be woken up
Multiple episodes of vomiting
Alcohol or drug intoxication at the time of injury
Short-term memory problems
Seizure
Decreasing consciousness or awareness
Increasing confusion or irritability
Bad or increasing headache
Fluid or blood coming from the nose, mouth, eyes or ears
Black eyes or bruising on the face or behind the ears
Unsteadiness walking or standing
Dangerous mechanism of injury (e.g., falling down stairs)
Slurring speech
Numbness or weakness in the arms or legs
Complaints of neck pain
Double vision
Seizures
There is no single objective measure that can diagnose a concussion; concussions remain a clinical diagnosis. To make this diagnosis, healthcare practitioners may make look at a series of variables that could indicate head trauma. The difficulty with this, however, is that healthcare professionals often need to know your pre-injury function (known as concussion “baseline testing”) in order to be able to accurately interpret the results.
Complete Concussions specializes in collaborative, evidence-based concussion care. Our evidence-based training programs and integrated healthcare technologies empower multidisciplinary teams to implement standardized care for those impacted by concussions.
Our network and patient database enables large-scale research to advance concussion management, and ultimately, the long-term health and well-being of concussion patients and also teach them some concussion care at home.
We analyze leading research to develop best-in-class approaches to concussion care.