If You think you have a concussion
- Remove yourself from activities that could cause head trauma, stress your heart or strain your brain. A 2018 University of Florida study found that college athletes who stopped activity once they were injured missed three fewer days of competition than those who delayed reporting. Additionally, immediate removal from activity reduced concussion symptoms by about two days and decreased the likelihood of missing more than two weeks of participation by 39 percent.
- Get evaluated by a medical professional. If you have any signs or symptoms of a concussion after a hit to the head or impact to the body, assume you have a concussion until you have a chance to be evaluated by an appropriate medical profession. This could involve a CT/PET scan depending on the severity of the injury.
- Take it easy. The first step in every recovery plan is to rest your body and your brain. If it causes your symptoms to worsen, don’t do it. This means no strenuous exercise, limiting screens like television, computers, and your phone if they trigger symptoms, and getting enough sleep. It may also mean taking time off from school or work, or avoiding situations with loud noise, bright lights, or crowds. However, this doesn’t mean isolate yourself in a dark room for a week. Too much isolation and boredom can be harmful, contributing to feelings of anxiety, depression, and resulting in increased recovery time. Spend time with friends and family but monitor your symptoms and avoid situations that make you feel worse.
Concussion Symptoms:
Signs of a Concussion (Acute)
Loss of consciousness, problems with balance, glazed look in the eyes, amnesia, delayed response to questions, forgetting an instruction, confusion about an assignment or position, or confusion of the game, score, or opponent, inappropriate crying, inappropriate laughter, vomiting.
Somatic Symptoms (Physical)
Headache, light-headedness, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to noise.
Cognitive Symptoms
Difficulties with attention, memory problems, Loss of focus, difficulty multitasking, difficulty completing mental tasks.
Sleep Symptoms
Sleeping more than usual, sleeping less than usual, having trouble falling asleep.
Emotional Symptoms
Anxiety, depression, panic attacks.
Loss of consciousness, problems with balance, glazed look in the eyes, amnesia, delayed response to questions, forgetting an instruction, confusion about an assignment or position, or confusion of the game, score, or opponent, inappropriate crying, inappropriate laughter, vomiting.
Somatic Symptoms (Physical)
Headache, light-headedness, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to noise.
Cognitive Symptoms
Difficulties with attention, memory problems, Loss of focus, difficulty multitasking, difficulty completing mental tasks.
Sleep Symptoms
Sleeping more than usual, sleeping less than usual, having trouble falling asleep.
Emotional Symptoms
Anxiety, depression, panic attacks.
Recovery Timeline
Patience is key. You must honor your brain and the injury. Unlike a broken bone, you can't just put a cast on your brain. Everyone's brain reacts differently, and each Concussion or TBI is different.
But if we're going to generalize, Dr. Steve Broglio, the Director of the University of Michigan Concussion Center, lead a study that found recovery is a process that could take up to 28 days, up from the suggested normal recovery time of up to 14 days. (The test pool included 34,709 male and female athletes from 30 colleges and universities—more than 1,700 of whom were concussed while participating in 22 sports.)
Post-concussion syndrome, or PCS, is the name given to concussions that last an unusually long time and challenge patients with unusually intense symptoms. The symptoms of PCS are the same as for concussion, but more severe and longer lasting. This can happen in 10-15% of concussions.
But if we're going to generalize, Dr. Steve Broglio, the Director of the University of Michigan Concussion Center, lead a study that found recovery is a process that could take up to 28 days, up from the suggested normal recovery time of up to 14 days. (The test pool included 34,709 male and female athletes from 30 colleges and universities—more than 1,700 of whom were concussed while participating in 22 sports.)
Post-concussion syndrome, or PCS, is the name given to concussions that last an unusually long time and challenge patients with unusually intense symptoms. The symptoms of PCS are the same as for concussion, but more severe and longer lasting. This can happen in 10-15% of concussions.
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