A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that can occur from either a bump, blow or jolt to the body or the head that causes a rapid stoppage of movement. It may be difficult to immediately identify if someone has a concussion because their symptoms may take hours to days to develop after the injury occurred.
Sometimes there are immediate, severe symptoms that occur that would warrant immediate emergency care. These symptoms include:
Because a concussion affects your brain, and your brain affects all of your body functions, you can have a multitude of symptoms. Again, these symptoms may be apparent within hours, or take up to 3 days to develop. They can also change as time goes on following the concussion. There are some ways to categorize concussion symptoms, and most will fall into these categories:
| SLEEP | EMOTIONAL |
| - Sleeping too much
- Not sleeping enough - Difficulty falling asleep |
- Being more sad than normal
- Being more angry than normal - Increased anxiety - More irritable than normal |
| PHYSICAL | MEMORY |
| - Headache
- Sensitivity to light and sound - Decreased balance - Dizziness/vertigo - Nausea/vomiting - Blurred vision |
- Difficulty remembering things
- Trouble concentrating - Difficulty processing things (such as understanding what you are reading) |
Remember that a concussion is a traumatic brain injury and should always be taken seriously. If you suspect that you, your child or someone you know may have a concussion, please have them evaluated by a medical professional. Do you have more questions about concussions? Please give us a call or send us an email – we are here to help!
