If You Have a Concussion and You Get Hit Again
A Michigan Medicine neurologist shares the correct way to heal a 'rebooting' encephalon.
When an unexpected injury to the caput or neck occurs, whether from a sporting injury, automobile accident or some other collision, a concussion may result.
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Concussions are traumatic brain injuries characterized by the caput and brain quickly moving back and forth, hitting the inside of the skull. When a concussion is suspected, many people may exist unsure of what to do next.
That's partly because concussions aren't ever obvious, and because at that place is no blood examination or scan that tin can find a concussion, different the clinical diagnosis you'd get for a center attack or broken bone. A concussion needs medical attention, but it can't exist treated with medication or surgery. It needs time to heal and sometimes other therapies.
Still, any suspected concussion should warrant medical evaluation — preferably within iii days of the injury.
"Well-nigh everyone gets amend if they're treated the right style," says Matthew Lorincz, Grand.D., Ph.D., a Michigan Medicine sports neurologist who co-directs Michigan NeuroSport.
That's why it's crucial to properly manage a concussion and receive follow-up evaluations.
Lorincz talked most what patients and families should know.
How a concussion happens
Sudden jarring tin can cause the brain, which is normally protected by a surrounding layer of spinal fluid, to bounce or twist inside the skull, resulting in concussion.
And information technology needn't stalk from a straight hit: "1 of the common scenarios we see is when force hits a person's body, their torso and caput gets whipped around," Lorincz says. "As a result, the brain is whipped around."
Contrary to what some may think, a concussion isn't a bruise. Information technology'southward an injury at the cellular level, with no visible signs of damage. A loss of consciousness isn't required.
"I tell people at that place'southward a dysfunction in the brain that has happened because your encephalon saw an impact of some type," Lorincz says. "Information technology's not a structural injury. It'south a fleck more similar if your reckoner is running slow … it'southward rebooting, just it is a biological process."
How concussions are diagnosed
Doctors can't diagnose a patient with typical tools. "There's no blood test or scan" to confirm a concussion, Lorincz says. A 22-betoken symptom checklist is one tool to use in concussion diagnosis and management.
SEE Also: A Team Approach to Concussion Intendance Changes Ane Athlete'south Outlook
Telltale signs include headache, imbalance and mental fogginess or memory problems. Feeling emotional is also common: "Right afterward the injury, you might weep out of the blue and non know why," Lorincz says.
If repeated vomiting, loss of consciousness or significant worsening of symptoms occurs, head to the emergency room immediately.
In the starting time 4 hours or and then after a suspected concussion, information technology'south best to stay awake to monitor for signs that may warrant emergency room evaluation. Afterwards a few hours pass, in that location is no need to proceed someone up or repeatedly wake them. Rest and sleep can begin the healing process.
Other indicators tin take time to surface. In the days after a concussion, a person might feel dizziness, difficulty sleeping, cervix pain or irritability. Some people may also develop or have worsened anxiety or depression.
How doctors care for concussion
Getting a consultation as shortly as possible is key to assessing the injury — and calming any fears. Lorincz notes near concussion patients don't have permanent brain damage and, once healed, there'southward no greater risk of a future concussion than before the injury.
Still, recuperation is necessary. In the first few days after a concussion, patients should manage their care like a flu diagnosis: bed residue and slowing downwardly their normal routine. But different past guidelines advising "cocoon therapy" — seclusion in a night room — best practices now say concussion patients should get up and nearly equally before long every bit possible, within reason.
Light concrete activity may help recovery, Lorincz says. Physicians might likewise recommend vestibular therapy, to help reduce dizziness and residue issues. In addition, physical therapy may be needed when cervix injuries accompany a concussion.
How concussion patients go frontwards
A follow-up visit with a physician should take place about a week later on the first visit to ensure the recovery is on rail. By this fourth dimension, a young patient ought to be able to handle some schoolwork and mental activity — "which is our No. 1 priority," Lorincz says.
Avoiding a premature render to sports is also central, because at that place'due south a college risk of encephalon injury if another hitting occurs before a concussion heals. All 50 states enforce Return to Play laws that typically mandate specific hiatus periods, medical clearance and informed consent before an athlete can compete again.
Recovery times vary by age. "Most people get better within 14 days," says Lorincz, just about one-3rd of concussion cases may take three weeks or longer to recover.
Source: https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/brain-health/what-happens-when-you-get-a-concussion-and-what-happens-next
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