In a severe impact to the head, the brain moves and hits the skull causing injury. During a boxing match, the brain moves from side to side after the impact of a punch. Following a concussion head injury, confusion and disorientation due to temporary distortion of the brain may result.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 01/11/2011
Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A concussion is a brain injury 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.
See also: Concussion - first aid
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsThere are more than a million cases of concussion each year in the United States.
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 (jarring) in any direction can cause unconsciousness. How long a person remains unconscious may indicate the severity of the concussion.
SymptomsConcussions don't always involve a loss of consciousness. In fact, most people who have concussions never black out. Some people have had a concussion and never even realized it.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe. They can include:
Emergency signs:
Head injuries that result in concussion often are associated with injury to the neck and spine. Take particular care when moving patients who have had a head injury.
Signs and testsA neurological examination may show abnormalities. The doctor will check your pupil size.
Tests that may be performed include:
A health care provider will do a brain and nervous system (neurological) evaluation to determine the right treatment for an uncomplicated concussion.
If a blow to the head during athletics leads to a bad headache, a feeling of being confused (dazed), or unconsciousness, a trained person must determine when the person can return to playing sports.
If a child or young adult has lost consciousness, that person should not play sports for a period of 3 months. There is an increased rate of brain injury and occasionally death in persons who have had a previous concussion that resulted in unconsciousness.
You may use acetaminophen (Tylenol) for a headache. Do NOT use aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil), naproxen, or other similar drugs.
Eat a light diet. Light activity around the home is okay. You do not need to stay in bed. However, avoid exercise, lifting weights, or other heavy activity.
Have an adult stay with you for the first 12 - 24 hours after you are home from an emergency room.
Do not drink alcohol until you have completely recovered. Alcohol may slow down your recovery, increase your risk for another injury, and make it even harder to make decisions.
A concussion with bleeding or brain damage must be treated in a hospital.
Expectations (prognosis)Full recovery is expected from an uncomplicated concussion. Dizziness, memory loss, problems thinking, irritability, headaches, sleep disturbances, and other symptoms may occur continue for weeks or even months afterwards.
ComplicationsIf someone has received a blow to the head, the person should be watched closely for signs of possible brain damage.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if anyone has a head injury that causes unconsciousness, or a head injury without unconsciousness that produces worrisome symptoms.
If symptoms do not go away or are not improving after 2 or 3 weeks, talk to your doctor.
Call the doctor if you have:
Call 911 or go the emergency room if emergency signs develop.
PreventionAttention to safety, including the use of appropriate athletic gear, such as bike helmets and seat belts, reduces the risk of head injury.
ReferencesRopper AH, Gorson KC. Clinical practice: concussion. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:166-172.
Kirsch TD, Lipinski CJ. Head injury. In: Tintinalli JE, Kelen GD, Stapczynski JS, Ma OJ, Cline DM, eds. Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. 6th ed. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill; 2006:chap 255.
Heegaard WC, Biros MH. Head. In: Marx JA, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier;2009:chap 38.
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.
See also: Concussion - first aid
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsA 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.
SymptomsSymptoms of a concussion can range from mild to severe. They can include:
The following are emergency symptoms of a concussion. Seek immediate medical care if there are:
Head injuries that result in concussion often are associated with injury to the neck and spine. Take particular care when moving patients who have had a head injury.
While recovering from a concussion, you may:
The doctor will perform a physical exam and check your nervous system. There may be changes in your pupil size, thinking ability, coordination, and reflexes.
Tests that may be performed include:
A concussion with bleeding or brain damage must be treated in a hospital.
If the concussion occured during a sporting event and resulted in a headache, confusion, or change in alertness, a trained person must determine when that person can return to playing sports.
Children with concussion symptoms should avoid sports and from being overly active during recess, physical education classes, and other playtimes. Ask your doctor when your child can return to normal activities.
When your child can safely return to normal activities depends on the severity of the concussion. Some children may need to wait 1 to 3 months. Ask your child's doctor if it is okay before the child participates in any activity where there is a risk of hitting or injuring the head. Specifically, ask when your child can:
Some organizations recommend that a child who had a concussion avoid sports activities that could produce a similar head injury for the rest of the season.
Treatment for a concussion may include:
An adult should stay with you for the first 12 - 24 hours after the concussion. Going to sleep is okay. However, someone should wake you up every 2 or 3 hours for the at least the first 12 hours. They can ask a simple question, such as your name, and then look for any changes in the way you look or act.
Expectations (prognosis)Healing or recovering from a concussion takes time. It may take days, weeks, or even months. You may be irritable, have trouble concentrating, be unable to remember things, have headaches, dizziness, and blurry vision. These problems will probably go away slowly. You may want to get help from family or friends before making important decisions.
ComplicationsComplications from a concussion can include:
The second impact syndrome (SIS) is when a person gets a second concussion while still having symptoms from a first one. This raises the risk for brain swelling, which can be deadly.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider if a head injury causes changes in alertness or produces any other worrisome symptoms.
If symptoms do not go away or are not improving after 2 or 3 weeks, talk to your doctor.
Call the doctor if the following symptoms occur:
Attention to safety, including the use of appropriate athletic gear, such as bike helmets and seat belts, reduces the risk of head injury.
ReferencesRopper AH, Gorson KC. Clinical practice: concussion. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:166-172.
Hunt T, Asplund C. Concussion assessment and management. Clin Sports Med. 2009;5-17.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 01/11/2011
Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A pretty good bump on the head, or a violent collision, can leave you feeling woozy and confused, and with a splitting headache. If it's bad enough, you may even lose consciousness.
So, what causes a concussion?
Your brain is a delicate organ encased in bone, your skull. When you fall down, suffer violent contact during a sports activity, or hit your head in a car accident, your brain moves but has nowhere to go. Instead, it swirls around inside your head and bumps into your skull. This causes bruising that damages your brain.
The classic symptom of a concussion is loss of consciousness. But many people might experience only a brief moment of amnesia or disorientation. Typically, you'll have a headache, feel sleepy, and you may even vomit. Most likely you will not be able to think "straight," that is, maybe you can't remember the date or your name. You may see flashing lights and even feel like you've "lost time." Sometimes, it may take a day or two after the blow for some symptoms to develop.
Your doctor will do a physical exam, checking your pupils, your ability to think, your coordination, and your reflexes. The doctor may want to look for bleeding in your brain, so you may need a CT or MRI scan. You may also have a brain wave test, or EEG.
So, how do we treat a concussion?
First and foremost, you will need to rest and be watched... sometimes in the hospital, and sometimes by a parent, friend, or spouse if you're at home.
For your headache, you can take acetaminophen. You may need to eat a light diet for a while if you continue to feel sick, or feel like vomiting. You'll want to have someone stay with you for the first 12 to 24 hours after your concussion. It's okay to sleep, but someone should wake you up every few hours and ask you a simple question, such as your name, and then watch you for changes in how you look or act.
Obviously, if you were playing sports when you received a concussion, you most likely will need to stop. Sometimes you can't return to a sport for weeks, or longer, especially if your symptoms don't improve. That's because once you've had a concussion, it's easier to get another one, and multiple concussions can lead to long-term brain damage.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 10/25/2011
Alan Greene, MD, Author and Practicing Pediatrician; also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Dizziness , headaches , etc etc. Go to the doctors just to be on the safe side so if he gets anything worse then a concussion, the doctor will see what they can do.
If you fell and hit the back of your head, you need to monitor yourself for a while. You need to tell someone that you fell. It's possible that you may have a concussion.
i think that u would have to have hit your head on a rock or fell on a rock.
<h1> no it wont you will have a lump
Mom patched his head because it was bleeding profusely. He did hit his head pretty hard when he fell off the swing.
The worse day ever was when I fell and hit my head
becaus e they fell ansd hit thwere head
He got hit on his head again but not with a apple with a grenade and fell down a well
It depends what part was hit, the strength of the impact... Url can also uuj,
Symptoms of a severe concussion, go see a doctor immediately.
because some french dude fell on his butt and hit his head on on someones butt thats why they call it head butting
Wasn't it discovered by Sir Issac Newton when an apple fell from a tree and hit him on the head?
You have to be wounded or killed in combat and when i say wounded it has to be by the enemey not i fell on post and hit my head