The most common concussion symptoms are headache, dizziness, nausea. A person may also experience fatigue, memory loss, sensitivity to light, and loss of consciousness. These symptoms can last anywhere from a few hours to weeks after the injury has occurred. If you have been diagnosed with a concussion then it is important that you follow all of your doctor’s instructions to speed up your recovery time.
A concussion can be caused by a blow to the head. This causes damage in your brain and spinal cord that leads to temporary or permanent impairment of some functions such as thinking, remembering, speaking, reading comprehension, judgment, coordination, and reaction time.
1. Headaches
Some people have a prolonged headache following an injury to the head. This is known as chronic post-concussion headaches that can seriously affect one’s life beyond the initial injuries sustained from being hit in the head.
2. Nausea
After a concussion, many patients struggle with nausea. This is often because of the acute symptoms that result from their injury or due to chronic conditions they develop over time after recovery.
3. Dizziness
After a brain injury such as a concussion, dizziness and vertigo are typical symptoms. Although these symptoms usually go away in most people, for some they might become chronic and debilitating. The absence of visual results on examination or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to confirm their complaints is the most aggravating aspect for individuals suffering from this condition.
The difference between a concussion and traumatic brain injury is that you would have lost consciousness with traumatic brain injury while many times concussions will not cause loss of consciousness. People who experience loss of consciousness often report feeling they were out for an extended period when it was only several minutes at most. Also, people dealing with traumatic brain injury may recover more slowly than those with concussions because their bodies weren’t able to protect themselves from harm as well.
You should call 911 in the event of a concussion if there is any loss of consciousness, seizures, or vomiting that continues for more than a few minutes but you do not need to go to an emergency room unless they are experiencing one of these symptoms above. In this case, it may be necessary for them to get stitches and/or x-rays since their head injury could have caused damage elsewhere on their body as well.
It is also important that someone with a concussion gets plenty of rest while following all instructions from their doctor about returning back to school or work after your recovery has begun. This will allow your brain time to recover so you don’t risk causing more damage.
Doctors recommend seeking medical attention within 24 to 72 hours if your symptoms worsen. If not, the doctor will provide recommendations for follow-up care.
Concussions do not need to be serious but if left untreated there could be long-term consequences including depression and dementia later in life so it is best for anyone with this type of symptom who would like more information about concussions should contact an expert immediately.
Dr. Chen sees patients at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Center for Sports Medicine in Walnut Creek, California. He is a board-certified Pediatrician and Sports Medicine Doctor that specializes in the non-operative medical treatment of a wide variety of various musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Chen graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine and went on to complete Pediatric residency training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey (Rutgers), then went on to fellowship training in Sports Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, one of the perennially top-ranked children’s hospitals in the nation. There he provided sideline coverage for NCAA Division I athletics at the University of Cincinnati and Miami University (OH). Since graduating, Dr. Chen has continued his love of sports coverage by volunteering for the San Francisco Marathon, the San Francisco Giant Race, and as the team physician for Northgate High School in Walnut Creek. Being a part of The Center for Sports Medicine allows Dr. Chen quick access to a multidisciplinary team of orthopedic surgeons, podiatrists, physiatrists, and physical therapists to return you to your highest functional level quickly and safely. Click here to contact us for your next appointment!
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