Concussions

A CONCUSSION is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that may result in a bad headache, altered levels of alertness, or unconsciousness.

It temporarily interferes with the way your brain works, and it can affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance, coordination, and sleep patterns.

For more information:  www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

A concussion may result when the head hits an object or a moving object strikes the head.

A concussion can result from a fall, sports activities, and car accidents. Significant movement of the brain (called jarring) in any direction can cause you to lose alertness (become unconscious). How long you remain unconscious may be a sign of the severity of the concussion.

However, concussions don't always involve a loss of consciousness. Most people who have a concussion never black out. You can have a concussion and not realize it.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a concussion can range from mild to severe. They can include:

• Altered level of consciousness (drowsy, hard to arouse, or similar changes)
• Confusion, feeling spacey, or not thinking straight
• Headache
• Loss of consciousness
• Memory loss (amnesia) of events before the injury or immediately after
• Nausea and vomiting
• Seeing flashing lights
• Feeling like you have "lost time"

The following are emergency symptoms of a concussion. Seek immediate medical care if there are:

• Changes in alertness and consciousness
• Convulsions (seizures)
• Muscle weakness on one or both sides
• Persistent confusion
• Persistent unconsciousness (coma)
• Repeated vomiting
• Unequal pupils
• Unusual eye movements
• Walking problems

Head injuries that result in concussion often are associated with injury to the neck and spine. Take particular care when moving someone who may have had a head injury.

While recovering from a concussion, you may:

• Be withdrawn, easily upset, or confused
• Have a hard time with tasks that require remembering or concentrating