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Lynx100
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Concussions
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Friday, May 27, 2005 5:27 AM
( #1 )
What is a concussion? A concussion is a mild brain injury in which trauma (anything from a sudden jolt of the head to severe motor vehicle accident) to the head causes a person’s brain is violently rocked back and forth inside of the skull and results in a temporary disruption of normal brain function. What are the symptoms of a concussion? A concussion can cause a variety of symptoms which can last for minutes, hours, days or even weeks depending on the severity. Symptoms include: Confusion
Dizziness
Short term memory loss
uncoordinated hand-eye movements
If bad enough, unconsciousness
A very severe concussion can lead to brain swelling, cell damage, and even death. Usually cases where people have died from severe head injuries causing concussions have been due a hematoma – bleeding within the skull. Though relatively rare, when they do occur, such hematomas are quite serious.
What does the doctor do?
After finding out from either you or witnesses how the injury occurred, he will check to see if you are suffering from any of the effects of concussion listed above. A physical exam is done and strength, sensation, balance, reflexes and memory are checked. Depending on how bad your injury was, if there seems to be a significant impairment of any of these, tests may be ordered to exclude serious brain injury. These tests are usually either a CT scan or MRI of the head
How is it treated?
Concussions usually don’t require any treatment except maybe some Paracetamol/Tylenol for headaches and an ice-pack if you copped a bump on the head.
Rest – Take time off for recovery. The amount of time needed to rest depends on the severity of the injury and can be anywhere from 15 minutes to weeks
Prevent re-injury – Avoiding any activity that jolts head is essential. Do not return to sports until the doctor has given you clearance. Also, things such as driving a car, riding a bike or going back to work should be assessed by the doctor.
Do multiple concussions cause brain damage?
Current research suggests that repeated concussions can cause progressive damage to the brain. After a concussion, there is a period of time in which there might be a change in the brain function. This may last anywhere from hours to 10days after injury. During this time, the brain is vulnerable to more injury so if the person sustains a second concussion during this time period, the risk of permanent brain injury increases.
Therefore it’s better to play safe rather than be sorry and sit out until all symptoms and effects are completely gone and you are given the OK by your doctor.
<message edited by Lynx100 on Friday, May 27, 2005 5:29 AM>
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