Concussion is an injury to the brain usually caused by a bump to the head.
The signs or symptoms of concussion may include the following:
- Mild headache or moderate headache after the bump to the head
- Dizziness or vertigo like symptoms after an injury
- Instability or Loss of balance after bumping the head
- Paleness, Nausea, an unclear head or a change in mood
- Change in the way your child performs in school
- Trouble in thinking or lack of clarity after a bump
- Short term loss of learned skills after a knock to the head
- Lethargy or decrease in energy after a sports injury or bump
- Difficulty sleeping after a bump to the head
These concussion signs may occur immediately or some time after the injury or bump to the head. In some cases the initial bump to the head may be accompanied by loss of consciousness.
Because the symptoms of a concussion injury are often not well understood children and players may put themselves at risk for another injury. Examples may be kids continuing to play a hard sport after a serious knock to the head. Or a skateboarder thinking nothing’s wrong after a fall and bump on the head and continuing to do skating and jumps. Or a team sports player may return to a game before they should.
So why is playing a sport or rough game a problem after a concussion injury? Well when the head is bumped with sufficient force to cause a concussion injury (i.e. some bruising or damage to the brain) – it is important to give the brain time to heal. If the bruised/injured brain hasn't healed properly from a concussion injury and the person gets another brain injury, the cumulative effect can be much more serious.
Repeated injury to the brain can lead to swelling or longer term disability or even death in some cases. So it's really important to recognize and understand the signs of a concussion and take the necessary action to have a checkup.
Greensborough Family Chiropractic and Chiro Neuro Rehab 03 9432 4644. We can check your spine and musculoskeletal system after a sporting injury.
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury:
Mild traumatic brain injuries such as concussion or other head injuries that result from things like sports accidents, car accidents or even simply tripping in the home are very common. What many sufferers don't realise is that these injuries can have both dramatic long-term and short-term effects(1,2).
In fact research now suggests that 33% of people who suffer an event such as this will go on to develop post concussive syndrome or post concussion syndrome(3), which is involved with persistent symptoms. Long-term brain dysfunction such as dementia(4,5,6) and Parkinson's disease(6,7) are also associated with head trauma. It is thought that the trauma can create the conditions in the brain necessary to predispose people to these neurodegenerative conditions.
Post concussion syndrome is associated with a wide variety of symptoms. These can include things such as issues with spatial awareness, memory issues and having difficulty processing information. It is also associated with more common symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, headache and neck stiffness.(2)
(1) Dean, P.J.A. and A. Sterr, Long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injury on cognitive performance. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2013. 7: p. 30.
(2) What are the Potential Effects of TBI? 2016 May 23, 2016 [cited 2016 8th Sept 2016]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/outcomes.html.
(3) Leddy, J.J., et al., Rehabilitation of Concussion and Post-concussion Syndrome. Sports Health, 2012. 4(2): p. 147-54.
(4) Costanza, A., et al., Review: Contact sport-related chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the elderly: clinical expression and structural substrates. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol, 2011. 37(6): p. 570-84.
(5) Fallis, J., Physicians must be brought up to speed on concussion risks. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2012. 184(2): p. E113-E114.
(6) Guskiewicz, K.M., et al., Association between Recurrent Concussion and Late-Life Cognitive Impairment in Retired Professional Football Players. Neurosurgery, 2005. 57(4): p. 719-726.
(7) Harris, M.A., et al., Head injuries and Parkinson's disease in a case-control study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2013.
(8) Alsalaheen, B.A., et al., Vestibular rehabilitation for dizziness and balance disorders after concus Stewart, G.W., et al.,
(9) Comprehensive assessment and management of athletes with sport concussion. Int J Sports Phys Ther, 2012. 7(4): p. 433-47. sion. J Neurol Phys Ther, 2010. 34(2): p. 87-93.