Concussion - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Concussion is a disturbance of function of the nerve cells in the brain as a result of a blow to the skull. It is usually caused by a blow to the head. Most of the time it doesn't involve a loss of consciousness. By far the most common head injury, a concussion results from an acceleration-deceleration injury or a blow to the head hard enough to jostle the brain and make it strike the skull, causing temporary neural dysfunction, but not hard enough to cause a cerebral contusion. The blow that causes a concussion is usually sudden and forceful - a fall to the ground, a punch to the head, a motor vehicle crash. In fact, most people who have concussions never black out. Many people have had concussions and not realized it. The signs and symptoms of a concussion can be subtle and may not appear immediately. Symptoms can last for days, weeks or longer. Concussions are common, particularly if you play a contact sport like football. But every concussion, no matter how mild, injures your brain. This injury needs time and rest to heal properly.

A severe concussion may involve prolonged loss of consciousness with a delayed return to normal. This injury needs time and rest to heal properly. Luckily, most concussions are mild and people usually recover fully. Any blow to the head can cause a concussion. Falls and traffic accidents often involve concussions, with or without other injuries. Without proper safety equipment and supervision, student athletes may be at increased risk of concussions when playing football and other contact sports. The person may seem restless, aggitated or irritable. Often, the person may have memory loss or seem forgetful. These symptoms may last for several hours to weeks, depending on the seriousness of the injury. Any period of loss of consciousness or amnesia of the head injury should be evaluated by a health-care professional. Concussion complicated by bleeding or brain damage must be treated in a hospital.

Causes of Concussion

The common causes and risk factor's of Concussion:

• Any significant blunt force trauma to the head such as a fall, a car accident.
• Being struck over the head with an object.
• Anyone who has had a concussion in the past is at higher risk of having concussions in the future.
• A direct blow.

Symptoms of Concussion

Some sign and symptoms related to Concussion are as follows:

• Difficulty concentrating.
• Amnesia.
• Headache.
• Vision disturbance.
• Loss of balance.
• Memory loss (called amnesia).
• Walking problems.
• Repeated vomiting.
• Unequal pupils.

Treatment of Concussion

• Rest is the best recovery technique.
• For headaches, acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) can be used.
• The ice should be applied for 20-30 minutes at a time and can be repeated about every two to four hours as needed. There is little benefit after 24 hours.
• Cuts will be numbed with a medication, such as lidocaine, by an injection or topical application. The cut will then be cleansed thoroughly with a saline solution and possibly an iodine solution.
• Concussion complicated by bleeding or brain damage must be treated in a hospital.