Brain Injury & Concussion
Advanced care for brain injuries & concussions
Sports participation has created a major concern about concussions, concussion symptoms and concussion treatment. Blows to the head in sports such as football, soccer, boxing/MMA, rugby, hockey, baseball and basketball are all too common. In fact, any blunt force trauma to the head can cause concussion and concussion
symptoms such as:
• Headache
• Sensitivity to light and/or sound
• Impaired reaction time
• Impaired judgment
• Changes in speech
Other concussion symptoms include answering questions slowly, being unsure of the game score or opponent, loss of consciousness, forgetting events prior to being hit (retrograde amnesia) or forgetting events after being hit (anterograde amnesia). Seizures are rare but can occur within the first week after a concussion or brain injury. In some situations, patients receive medications to prevent seizures.
High-school football accounts for 47% of all reported sports concussions, with 33% of concussions occurring during practice after football, ice hockey and soccer. These sports pose the most significant health risk. if an athlete does not fully recover after their first concussion they are more prone to a second concussion and more catastrophic ailments. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your student-athlete has a clean bill of health.
Not all concussions are sports-related
Not all concussions come from sports related injuries. The other causes can be motor vehicle accidents, falls, being in the military near battlefield explosions or having an object fall on or hit your head. TBI is short for traumatic brain injury. TBI can be mild or severe. A mild TBI occurs if you lose consciousness for under 30 minutes. Even though most neurodiagnostic testing such as MRIs or CTs can reveal a structurally normal brain, the injured individual can have difficulty with attention, mood swings, concentration issues and memory problems. Severe TBI is a loss of consciousness greater than 30 minutes and memory loss after the injury that lasts longer than one day. Patients with severe TBI can lose function of their arms, legs and speech/language.
If you suspect you have any signs of TBI or concussion symptoms, please call West Coast Neurology immediately at (626) 598-3770 or book an appointment online by clicking here.
