A concussion in medicine is also called a mild traumatic brain injury. It refers to slight head injuries that are accompanied by a temporary loss of brain function, which can trigger cognitive, emotional and physical manifestations – symptoms. A concussion usually occurs in a person as a result of a push or a blow to the head. However, in most cases, the person remains conscious.
Concussion is damage to the soft intracranial structures. In sports medicine, the term concussion is more common, and in general medicine, such an injury is called mild head injury. According to statistical studies, men are twice as likely to receive similar injuries than women. Doctors say that athletes, or ordinary people who have had a traumatic brain injury in the past, may experience its effects after 30 years, in old age. They have a decrease in mental and physical processes, compared with people who have not received similar injuries.
The structure of the skull provided for the possibility of injuries to the brain, because his body is surrounded by cerebral fluid. But with a strong shock or jolt, this fluid will not be able to adequately absorb, as a result of which the brain knocks on the inside of the skull. As a result of the push, the fibers of nerves, blood vessels under the skull can be torn, and subsequent accumulation in that area of blood.
A concussion is most often diagnosed in car accidents, when there is a sharp braking, and a person is hit hard by his head, when playing sports, especially hard, such as boxing or rugby, American football, martial arts. Contactless sports are no less dangerous: snowboarding or skiing. With falls, the brain always suffers. This is especially observed with bruises. According to statistics, such falls most often result in a concussion for the elderly or children who have little control over their bodies. Children can get serious head injuries when playing on children’s playgrounds and sports fields that do not have the proper soft lining. A large number of traumatic brain injuries people get while riding a bicycle and riding a horse. Cyclists, getting into even the lightest accident, always get injured, as do people falling from a horse. Criminal brain injuries also occupy one of the main causes of concussion.
Concussion is divided into three degrees. There are several classifications of brain injuries. The most common is the classification developed by Dr. Robert Cantu. The first degree is characterized by amnesia for no more than 30 minutes, without loss of consciousness. The second degree is characterized by loss of consciousness of no more than 5 minutes and amnesia, lasting from half an hour to a day. The third degree is characterized by loss of consciousness for a period of more than 5 minutes and amnesia lasting more than a day. Signs of a concussion may not appear immediately. Immediate reactions include loss of consciousness, confusion of thoughts, headache, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, amnesia, ringing in the ears, and fatigue. Over the next few days, symptoms that are remote in time may appear: amnesia, sleep anxiety, depression, irritability, hypersensitivity to sound stimuli (hyperacusis), moodiness and lack of concentration, photophobia. A severe concussion is always accompanied by prolonged headaches, prolonged dizziness, dilated pupils, prolonged nausea or vomiting, lost memory, not prone to recovery, loss of smell, ringing in the ears. Even with mild symptoms, you should always consult a doctor to avoid serious consequences.