Your days have probably gotten a lot busier with the start of school and fall sports season in full swing. But as sports practices ramp up, so does your risk of injury. You may think that a concussion only happens in football games or car crashes. But the truth is, any sports players are at just as high a risk.
What is a Concussion?
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions. Essentially, It’s a bruise on your brain. Think of your brain as a marble in a small bottle of water. When you shake the bottle back and forth, the marble may hit the sides of the bottle. When your head moves back and forth quickly, that makes your brain actually hit the front and back of your skull. This is how a concussion occurs.
When a concussion occurs, normal brain functions like concentration, memory, balance, and coordination are temporarily altered. Depending on how severe the concussion is, it can take days, to months for these functions to work normally again. It’s just one reason why it’s so important to learn how to recognize a concussion and start managing it right away.
Possible Concussion Symptoms:
- Headaches
- Fatigue or low energy
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Poor balance
- Nausea or vomiting
- Decreased concentration
- Irritability
- Memory loss
- Blurred vision
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Irrational behavior and difficulty reading.
All concussions are different so it’s impossible to know what symptoms someone will experience. The length of time it takes to recover from a concussion is also unpredictable. However, the earlier the concussion is identified, the faster the concussion symptoms will subside.
What to do if you think you have a concussion?
If you think you have a concussion, get medical attention right away. In most cases, a doctor will perform head imaging to rule out other more serious head injuries like bleeding in the brain. If there is no emergent threat of a brain bleed, the concussion can be treated on a case by case basis.
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