What is a Concussion ?

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that occurs when a head impacts jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. The brain is a soft organ surrounded by spinal fluid that acts like a cushion during normal movement. If the head or body receives a significant hit, the brain may crash into the skull and sustain an injury. Delicate neural pathways in the brain can become damaged, causing neurological disturbances.

Concussions can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage. In some cases, dangerous and sometimes fatal swelling and bleeding can occur inside the brain. The more forceful the blow to the head, the greater the chance of serious injury. Repeated concussions and head trauma without proper healing time between each head injury have been shown to cause long-term harm.

A traumatic brain injury or concussion can be caused by a fall, injury or a blow to the head. Common causes of concussions include car crashes, bike accidents, and fights. Concussions can also occur while participating in sports such as soccer, football, skiing, boxing, hockey and more.

Sports concussions are on a dramatic rise – 1 in 5 high school athletes will sustain a concussion this year. More than 33% of sports-related concussions happen during practice.

Most bumps on the head are minor and heal just like bumps anywhere else on the body. However, sometimes a head impact can be worse than it looks. Even if there is no bleeding or visible bump, head trauma can cause complications such as dizziness, headache, loss of balance or a loss of consciousness.

Approximately 90 percent of diagnosed concussions do not involve a loss of consciousness, so it is important to look for signs and symptoms of concussion.

If you believe that you or someone you know has sustained a concussion, it is important to seek medical help immediately. Your medical provider can help determine if a concussion has occurred and determine the safest course of treatment.

Different Grades of Concussion

American Academy of Neurology (AAN), accurately states that, “There is no such thing as a minor concussion.” Of course, it always nice that a statement like this can result in more patients and an increase in revenue.

The AAN guidelines have specified three grades of brain concussions:

Grade 1 Concussion:

Transient confusion ie dinged or dazed.

No loss of consciousness, but, “Ohmigawd, does my head hurt”.
Rapid recovery in which concussion symptoms clear in less than 15 minutes.

Grade 2 Concussion:

The same as Grade 1 (transient confusion and no loss of consciousness) but with the added bonus of having the concussion symptoms or mental status abnormalities last longer than 15 minutes.

Grade 3 Concussion:

Brain concussions at this level are characterized by any loss of consciousness, either brief (seconds) or prolonged (minutes).

Please note that the AAN states that permanent brain injury can occur with either Grade 2 or Grade 3 concussion.

How Do Concussions Occur?

You don’t necessarily need to hit your head against the ground, your former best-friend’s fist, the ice hockey rink, or to get hit by a ball, stick, elbow or the like in order to get a concussion. A quickly moving player that hits another player and causes a sudden change in direction may produce a rapid back and forth movement of the head and neck. This rapid brain motion causes a concussion.

The impact force is transmitted to your brain. From this concussion injury, your brain cells become abnormal and, quite simply, they don’t function properly. You have heard of terms like “punch drunk,” dazed and “lights-out.” All of these terms attempt to describe the fuzziness nature of a concussion

The Leading Causes of Concussions

The leading causes of concussions are:

Falls (35.2%): Falls continued to be the leading cause of concussions (35.2%) in the United States. Falls cause half (50%) of the concussions among children aged 0 to 14 years and 61% of all concussions among adults aged 65 years and older.

Motor vehicle – traffic (17.3%): Among all age groups, motor vehicle crashes and traffic-related incidents were the second leading cause of concussion (17.3%) and resulted in the largest percentage of concussion-related deaths (31.8%).

Struck by/against events (16.5%):

Assaults (10%): Stay away from bad guys.

Post Concussion Symptoms

If you are an athlete, you may get knocked out but most of the time the main problems are headaches, dizziness, fatigue and memory problems. These are called post-concussion symptoms.

Second Impact Syndrome

A second direct or indirect impact to the injured brain (when post-concussion symptoms still present) can cause a dangerous change in the brain’s blood supply. This leads to rapid brain swelling that can cause rapid coma and death.

Safety First – Never Go Back Into An Athletic Event

The only way to prevent this catastrophic event is to NEVER GO BACK TO PLAY BEFORE ALL SYMPTOMS FROM A CONCUSSIVE INJURY ARE COMPLETELY GONE!