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The temperatures are starting to cool, the fall season is coming, and with it are fall sports and their injuries. The most common and least serious type of traumatic brain injury is called a concussion. The brain is made of soft tissue and it's cushioned by spinal fluid and encased in the protective shell of the skull. When you sustain a concussion, the impact can jolt your brain. If the impact is hard enough it literally causes it to "slosh" around in your skull. Traumatic brain injuries can cause bruising, damage to the blood vessels, and injury to the nerves. The result? Your brain doesn't function normally. If you've suffered a concussion, your vision may be blurry, you may feel unbalanced, or you may have fallen unconscious (just a few seconds or longer). Nevertheless, everyone has probably hit their head once or twice in their lifetime and has been able to walk away from the accident unscathed. But when does it become a serious matter?
Minor accidents can lead to serious illness and even death, the most recent (and highly publicized) example being the death of Natasha Richardson who died at the age of 45. She had been skiing in Canada and received a blunt impact to the head when she fell which then caused as an epidural hematoma, which she would later die from. The hematoma could have been caught earlier and possibly even treated but she declined medical attention, possibly on the assumption that many of us have, that falls aren't that serious and had even joked about her fall. According to the CDC, as many as 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur each year in the U.S. Other causes include car and bicycle accidents, work-related injuries, falls, and fighting. How can you tell if you have had a concussion? Is it always serious? And what should you do if you have a concussion? Here are answers to some important questions about concussions.
There are some common physical, mental, and emotional symptoms a person may display following a concussion. Any of these could be a sign of traumatic brain injury:
(Source: WebMD)
confusion or feeling dazed clumsiness slurred speech nausea or vomiting headache balance problems or dizziness blurred vision sensitivity to light sensitivity to noise sluggishness ringing in ears behavior or personality changes concentration difficulties memory loss
Concussions are graded as mild (grade 1), moderate (grade 2) or severe (grade 3) depending on such factors as loss of consciousness, amnesia, and loss of equilibrium. In a grade 1 concussion, symptoms last for less than 15 minutes. There is no loss of consciousness. With a grade 2 concussion, there is no loss of consciousness but symptoms last longer than 15 minutes. In a grade 3 concussion, the person loses consciousness, sometimes just for a few seconds. How serious a concussion is dictates what kind of treatment you should seek. Most people with concussions fully recover with appropriate treatment. But since a concussion can be serious, safeguarding yourself is important. The rule of thumb is that when you suspect a concussion seek medical attention. A health care professional can decide how serious the concussion is and whether you require treatment. If your concussion was sustained during athletic activity, stop play and sit it out. Your brain needs time to properly heal, so rest is important. Also, you should guard against repeat concussions because they can cause cumulative effects on the brain. So as you go about your daily activities help protect yourself and others by insisting on seeing a doctor if you or others have suffered and accident and a head injury and suspect a concussion.
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