Concussions occur in settings were there has been trauma to the head or body. Contact or collision sports, falls or accidents are examples of the kind of trauma that can lead to a concussion.

Although everyone is different in terms of which symptoms that they have after injury, the most common symptoms following concussion are:

 

1. Headache

2. Difficulty focusing or a feeling of “fogginess”.

3. Memory loss

4. Temporary confusion after injury

5. Fatigue or extreme tiredness

6. Dizziness or trouble with balance

7. Moodiness or irritability

8. Sensitivity to light or sound

 

The time that it takes to recover from concussion depends on specifics of the injury, patient specific factors and management.

Most people recover within one to three weeks of injury and have no long-term difficulties.

If available an initial evaluation can be preformed by team doctor, athletic trainer or emergency room doctor. If you think you have suffered a concussion, it is import to get a thorough evaluation and medical clearance prior to returning to sport or activity.

After a suspected concussion you should rest 48 hrs. Try to avoid physical and mental exertion. Remain in the presence of an adult for 48hrs following a concussion. Do not drive a motor vehicle, consume alcohol or take more than over the counter Tylenol for pain.

If you develop vomiting following a concussion or if your condition suddenly gets worse and you experience confusion or disorientation you should seek immediate medial attention. In addition, if you suddenly experience any loss of vision or hearing or experience numbness or paralysis of a body part, you should also go to an Emergency Department.

 

Although the majority of athletes who experience a concussion are likely to recover, an as yet unknown number of these individuals may experience chronic cognitive and neurobehavioral difficulties related to recurring injury.

Such symptoms may include chronic headaches, fatigue, sleep difficulties, personality change, sensitivity to light/noise, dizziness when standing quickly, and deficits in short term memory, problem solving and general academic functioning.

This constellation of symptoms is referred to as “Post-Concussion Syndrome” and can be quite disabling for an athlete. In some cases, such difficulties can be permanent and disabling. In addition to Post-Concussion Syndrome, suffering a second blow to the head while recovering from an initial concussion can have catastrophic consequences as in the case of “Second Impact Syndrome,” which has led to approximately 30-40 deaths over the past decade.

 

At the forefront of proper concussion management is the implementation of baseline and/or post-injury neurocognitive testing.

Such evaluation can help to objectively evaluate the concussed athlete’s post-injury condition and track recovery for safe return to play, thus preventing the cumulative effect of concussion. In fact, neurocognitive testing has recently been called the “cornerstone” of proper concussion management by an international panel of sports medicine experts.

ImPACT is a user-friendly computer based testing program specifically designed for the management of sports-related concussion. The instrument has been designed after approximately 10-years of University-based, grant-supported research. ImPACT is currently the most widely utilized computerized program in the world and is implemented effectively across high school, collegiate, and professional levels of sport participation. ImPACT takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. This computer program measures multiple aspects of cognitive functioning in athletes, including:

1. Attention span

2. Working memory

3. Sustained and selective attention time

4. Response Variability

5. Non-verbal Problem Solving

6. Reaction time