Concussions: Things You Should Know

Jan 01, 2022

Whether as an adult or a child, you cannot assure yourself of avoiding accidents all your life. From falls to sporting accidents, there are many ways that you could hurt yourself. Although you do not always have to incur severe damages to your body, when you are involved in a traumatic accident, chances are that you will suffer pain in one or more areas of your body. When an injury affects your head, you may have an injury called a concussion.

What Is a Concussion?

It is a type of traumatic brain injury that results from an injury in your head. Concussions will often occur when your body encounters any forceful impact that causes the upper part of your body to jerk backward, forward, or to the side. The sudden and forceful movements of your head affect the normal functioning of the body. While concussions are often mild brain traumas, if you do not seek concussion care in an ER near you, it can turn out to be a severe brain injury.

What Happens When You Have a Concussion?

After a traumatic injury in your head, there will be a shift in the chemical reactions in your brain, resulting from bruised and damaged nerves and blood vessels. Many first-time concussions do not have permanent consequences on the normal functioning of your brain unless they are very severe. After visiting an ER for head injury protocols, your brain soon regains its state of normalcy.

Multiple concussions throughout your life, however, may cause permanent structural changes in the functioning of your brain. The stakes are higher if you do not seek immediate urgent care for concussions near you soon after your accidents.

How Do You Know You Have a Concussion?

Concussions are associated with certain symptoms that may manifest immediately or a few days after your accident. The symptoms range from mild to severe and may last a few days or prolong for several weeks. You can never conclusively determine whether or not you have a concussion until after seeking treatment in an emergency room for a head injury. Some of the symptoms to consider for concussions include the following:

  1. Migraine headaches – headaches are the most common signs of concussions. After your injury, be keen to track the number of times in a day you have headaches. Report to your doctor in a concussion emergency room regarding also the intensity of your headaches, as that would make a difference in the prognosis and treatment of your injury.
  2. Loss of consciousness – immediately after your injury, you may faint for a few minutes. Loss of consciousness should be short-lived. If it happens more than once after your injury, call your doctor immediately.
  3. Ringing in your ears and sensitivity to noise.
  4. Loss of balance – may be accompanied by drowsiness, dizziness, and lightheadedness.
  5. Blurry vision – you may have double vision soon after the head injury. It should get better after a couple of minutes.
  6. Loss of memory – can be short-term memory loss regarding the events of the injury or a temporary forgetfulness of the events that happened before your accident. The loss of memory may sometimes be accompanied by an inability to identify people around or understand where you are.
  7. Noticeable bumps on your head – they may feel sore and be tender to touch.

When Should You Seek Treatment?

Concussions are typically mild head injuries that do not leave permanent issues in your life. Still, make a habit of talking to a doctor after an injury or accident because everything is not always what it seems, especially concerning head injuries. However, should you rush to experience any of the following things, rush to an emergency facility immediately as your health could be at stake:

  1. Persistent vomiting
  2. Severe head pain
  3. Loss of vision or hearing
  4. Prolonged nose bleeding or even bleeding from your ears
  5. Seizures or convulsions
  6. An inability to recognize people and your otherwise familiar environments
  7. Numbness in any part of your body, or general weakness of body muscles.
  8. Slurred speech
  9. Losing consciousness more than once after an injury
  10. Difficulty opening the eyes – or waking up from sleep.

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