How to Know if You Have a Small Concussion

Concussion

What Is a Concussion?

The about common and least serious type of traumatic brain injury is called a concussion. The discussion comes from the Latin concutere, which means "to shake violently." A concussion is well-nigh oft acquired past a sudden direct blow or bump to the caput.

According to the CDC, betwixt 2001 and 2009, an estimated 173,285 people nether age 19 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for concussions related to sports and recreation activities. Other causes include auto and bicycle accidents, work-related injuries, falls, and fighting.

Concussion Causes and Take chances Factors

The brain is made of soft tissue. It's cushioned by spinal fluid and encased in the protective shell of the skull. When you take a blow or bump to your head, the impact tin can jolt your brain. Sometimes, it literally causes information technology to motion around in your head. Traumatic brain injuries can crusade bruising, damage to the claret vessels, and injury to the nerves.

The result is your brain doesn't function equally it should. If you've had a concussion, vision may be disturbed, you may lose equilibrium, or you lot may fall unconscious. In short, the brain is confused.

Some things increase your risk for a concussion, including:

• Falls, peculiarly in children and older adults
• Playing a contact sport
• Lack of proper safe gear or supervision for contact sports
• Car, motorcycle, bicycle, and other accidents that cause a blow to the head
• Being striking, struck with an object, or other physical corruption
• Military service
• An earlier concussion

Concussion Symptoms

Concussions can be catchy to diagnose. Though you lot may have a visible cut or bruise on your head, you tin't run into a concussion. Signs may not appear for days or weeks after the injury. Some symptoms terminal for only seconds; others may linger.

Concussions are fairly mutual. Some estimates say a balmy brain trauma is sustained every 21 seconds in the U.S. Only it's important to recognize the signs of a concussion so yous tin can take the proper steps to treat the injury.

In that location are some mutual physical, mental, and emotional symptoms a person may display post-obit a concussion. Signs of traumatic encephalon injury include:

• Confusion or feeling dazed
• Awkwardness
• Slurred spoken language
• Nausea or vomiting
• Headache
• Balance problems or dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Sensitivity to lite
• Sensitivity to dissonance
• Lethargy
• Ringing in ears
• Irritability or other behavior or personality changes
• Difficulty concentrating
• Loss of memory
• Fatigue or sleepiness
• Loss of consciousness
• Forgetfulness such as repeating yourself
• Slowed response to questions
• Bug with sleep
• Depression
• Problems with sense of taste or smell

Concussions in Children

Considering their heads are disproportionately big compared to the residual of their body, concussions frequently occur in immature children. As kids enter boyhood, they experience rapid height and weight gain. Both are factors that make them more prone to accidents than adults.

If a child has a concussion, an developed should monitor them for the kickoff 24 hours. Don't give medications, including aspirin, which may cause haemorrhage, to a child without talking to a doc kickoff.

Information technology's important to watch for behavioral changes. Immature children, particularly, may non exist able to fully communicate what they're feeling, and so it is disquisitional to watch them closely. Symptoms of concussions in children include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Problems with remainder
• Upset tummy or vomiting
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Mental fogginess or slowed thinking
• Problems with retentiveness, concentration, or focus
• Feeling more irritable, sad, nervous, or emotional than usual
• Bug with sleep

Types of Concussions

Doctors rank, or grade, the severity of concussions based on things similar loss of consciousness, amnesia, and loss of equilibrium. There are three grades:

• Class i: Mild, with symptoms that last less than 15 minutes and involve no loss of consciousness
• Course 2: Moderate, with symptoms that final longer than xv minutes and involve no loss of consciousness
• Grade three: Severe, in which the person loses consciousness, sometimes for simply a few seconds

Concussion Diagnosis

Most people with concussions fully recover with appropriate treatment. Only because a concussion can be serious, safeguarding yourself is important. Here are a few steps to have:

Seek medical attention. A health intendance professional can determine how serious the concussion is and whether you require treatment.

If you have a course ane or grade two concussion, expect until symptoms are gone before returning to normal activities. That could accept several minutes, hours, days, or even a week.

If a person has lost consciousness, that'south a grade 3 concussion that needs a doctor'southward immediate evaluation and care. They'll enquire how the head injury happened and discuss the symptoms. The doctor may also inquire you unproblematic questions such as "Where do yous live?," "What is your name?," or "Who is the president?" The physician asks these questions to evaluate memory and concentration skills.

The doctor may test coordination and reflexes, which are both functions of the central nervous arrangement. The doctor may likewise gild a CT scan or an MRI to rule out haemorrhage or other serious encephalon injury.

Concussion Treatment and Home Remedies

If you don't need hospitalization, the doctor will give you instructions to follow.  Experts recommend follow-up medical attention within 24 to 72 hours if symptoms worsen. To recover at home, yous should:

• Take a interruption. If your concussion was sustained during athletic activity, stop play and sit information technology out. Your encephalon needs time to properly heal, so rest is primal. Definitely do not resume play the same day. Athletes and children should be closely monitored past coaches upon resuming play. If you resume play too presently, you lot risk a greater chance of having a second concussion, which can chemical compound the harm. The American Academy of Neurology has issued guidelines nearly resuming activities afterward a concussion.
• Guard against repeat concussions. Repeat concussions crusade cumulative effects on the brain. Successive concussions tin can take devastating consequences, including brain swelling, permanent brain damage, long-term disabilities, or even death. Don't return to normal activities if y'all nevertheless accept symptoms. Go a doc'due south clearance so you can return to work or play with confidence.
• Care for pain with a spirin -free medications. Your doctor will prescribe a medication to salve hurting or recommend an over-the-counter selection.

Concussion Prevention

A concussion is unexpected, so it is tough to prevent. But at that place are several commonsense precautions you can take to lessen the possibility of traumatic brain injury.

• Wear protective equipment. Participation in high-contact, loftier-risk sports such as football, hockey, boxing, and rugby can increase the likelihood of a concussion. Skateboarding, snowboarding, horseback riding, and rollerblading are also a threat to your encephalon's health. Wearing headgear, padding, and mouth and eye guards can help safeguard against traumatic head injuries. Wearing a bike helmet can lower the risk of traumatic head injury by 85%. There is also a new C-shaped neckband-like device called Q-Collar which can be worn by athletes. It applies compressive forcefulness to the neck and increases claret volume to help reduce movement of the brain, which may occur because of hits to the head. Brand certain that whatsoever equipment fits you correctly and is well-maintained.
• Drive and ride smart. E'er wear a seatbelt, obey posted speed limits, and don't utilize drugs or alcohol, considering they can impair reaction time.
• Don't fight. Concussions are ofttimes sustained during an set on, and more men than women report traumatic caput injuries.
• Reduce trip and fall hazards in your home. Clear clutter from floors and hallways and make certain your home is well-lighted.
• Exercise regularly. It can requite you stronger leg muscles and better balance, which can assistance stave off falls.
• Use home safe measures to protect your children. Install window guards and block stairways.

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Source: https://www.webmd.com/brain/concussion-traumatic-brain-injury-symptoms-causes-treatments

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