Did You Know You Have a Head?
Concussions | Brain Injury Awareness | Traumatic Brain Injury | Brain Safety & Care
If you've been reading almost concussion diagnosis and symptoms and feel confused, that'south pretty normal. Virtually advice well-nigh concussions feels vague. Information technology'due south difficult to know what applies to you. And if you're like about patients, you may exist second-guessing yourself and unsure of whether to come across a md after your injury. In this post, we'll try to make it easier for you to know if you have a concussion and what options you take. Along the way, nosotros'll debunk some common myths about concussions and how you lot can tell if you have one. Here'south a sneak peek at what we'll cover: We'll explain what a concussion is in more depth subsequently in this postal service, but for now, we'll use this as a working definition: A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury sustained after a accident to the head, whiplash, or jostling of the brain. That impact to the brain causes inflammation and may damage some encephalon cells. That injury and subsequent inflammation leads to concussion symptoms. Note: If yous're experiencing symptoms that won't resolve after one or more concussions, yous're not alone and you lot're non crazy. On average, our patients improve by 75% after treatment at our center specializing in post-concussion therapy. To see if you are eligible for handling, sign upwardly for a free consultation. In this first section, we'll address some common questions that all accept the form of, "Tin can I notwithstanding have a concussion if ... ?" Some of them are tied to old myths about concussions, and some stem from misunderstandings that fifty-fifty many wellness care providers perpetuate today. Yes! Someone may have told you that it's non a concussion without loss of consciousness. Simply the reality is that your symptoms do non dictate whether or not you had a concussion. You don't have to have memory loss, fainting, or any other major issue for information technology to be considered a concussion. Just about x% of concussion patients blackness out during their injury. The other xc% stay conscious the whole time! Yes, definitely. While many concussions are acquired by a blow to the head, yous can also become a concussion from whiplash or jostling. In those cases, the brain slams against your skull, temporarily damaging the cells and causing an inflammation response. It's just as capable of causing symptoms as a physical hit to the head. For example, we've treated people who experienced whiplash during a car blow. They didn't hitting their heads, but the damage to their brains was very real. Or, say you lot're a figure skater, and your falls result in constant jostling of your brain. That could as well upshot in a brain injury, fifty-fifty if yous didn't striking your head on the ice. Mild or no symptoms does not mean you don't have a concussion. Some people don't notice their symptoms immediately. And the symptoms may non be extreme — it's possible that you'll only experience a mild headache and moderate fatigue for a few days before getting back to normal, for example. Say you bump your head and experience totally fine afterward, and the people you're with don't detect any odd beliefs. It's probably not a concussion, simply still has a chance of being 1 (particularly if you've had brain injuries before). Sometimes, when the encephalon is injured, you lot may not feel symptoms immediately. Every brain reacts differently, so information technology'southward important to go along an eye on how you feel for several days later on a blow to the caput. Also, keep in mind there'due south no such matter as a "minor" concussion. Every concussion is, in technical terms, a mild traumatic encephalon injury. What makes information technology a "bad" concussion or not mainly depends on how much your brain is affected and how bad your symptoms are. Yes. About of the time, your optics volition not exist a reliable source of diagnosis. That said, some baseline tests include heart-movement tracking that is capable of detecting a concussion. Unfortunately, baseline tests are non helpful unless you've taken them before your concussion. More than on that in a bit. Then tin can your eyes ever indicate brain damage? They might. If both pupils are dilated, that could simply be your body's normal response to a stressful situation. If one educatee is dilated more than the other, that could indicate more serious encephalon trauma. Information technology's worth seeing a doctor immediately to rule out a traumatic brain injury. Yes! Most regular MRI and CT scans will not show concussion damage. They're just non designed to detect concussion harm. Recollect of it this way: Imagine yous're looking into the window of a company. The lights are on, the building is intact, and the workers are present. Externally, it seems like the company is running well. Just for the purposes of our example, we'll say that the workers don't get along, the company'south finances have been mismanaged, and the CEO just resigned amidst a scandal. Information technology's actually not doing well at all. The view you go of the company by looking at appearances (i.east., is the building there, are there people in it, etc.) is similar looking at your encephalon with a regular MRI: It can verify that your brain structures are present and undamaged. Only a regular MRI can't tell you how well that brain is using its resources and whether your neurons are communicating the manner they need to (i.e., are the employees collaborating, is the CEO leading them well, etc.). For that, you'd need an fNCI — a test nosotros'll talk about more in a following department. So what should you look for if you think you accept a concussion? If you lot ... ... then it's likely (but non guaranteed) yous take a concussion. Allow'due south discuss which symptoms you tin can become from a concussion, along with how doctors tin can evaluate patients when a concussion is suspected. Maybe you lot were driving without a seatbelt when you got into a car crash. Perhaps it'due south a sports injury. Perchance y'all tripped and slammed your caput on the counter. Or perhaps you got knocked effectually at the roller coaster park. From the well-nigh frightening to the most inglorious methods of getting a concussion, the answer is the same: You cannot accept a concussion unless you hit your caput, experienced whiplash, or jostled your brain enough for it to crash against your skull. If you did feel one of those three causes of head injuries, and so your chances of having a concussion are high. That said, some situations are more likely to result in serious brain injury than others. Crash into a tree snowboarding? Hit your head in a motor vehicle accident? Fall off a balcony? Those situations — and others like them — are more likely to result in a severe traumatic encephalon injury than, say, getting tackled during football game. Just having a less terrifying hitting to the head doesn't hateful you lot should let your guard downward. If you lot experience any symptoms of a astringent traumatic brain injury (listed here), seek medical attending immediately. We've written an extensive guide to concussion symptoms, so we won't rehash everything here. Hither's the curt version: As yous can see from the chart, at that place are many dissimilar kinds of symptoms of a concussion (which makes sense when y'all consider that your brain controls everything you practise!). You lot might feel remainder problems, overwhelm, and retention problems, while someone else might have headaches, blurry vision, and personality changes. And in young children, symptoms don't await the aforementioned either (come across items starred with an asterisk in the chart) because they can't express what they feel likewise as we can. Doctors consider the symptoms yous're experiencing in lite of your medical history. If yous had it prior to head trauma — for instance, depression — but information technology got worse afterwards a head injury, and so you should mention it as well. There is no gold standard when it comes to concussion testing. Many doctors, for lack of better options, will order an MRI or a CT browse. Unfortunately, neither of these tests tin can reliably detect a concussion, although they can dominion out more serious causes of your symptoms. For case, if you have a tumor, brain drain, or aneurysm, the scans should detect that. If information technology'southward been several months subsequently your injury and you lot're yet experiencing symptoms, then we recommend a test nosotros apply at Cerebral FX: functional neurocognitive imaging (fNCI). It'south a special kind of functional MRI that looks at how your brain uses its resources in response to stimuli. This is as opposed to a regular MRI, which but looks at brain structure. It wouldn't matter what you lot were thinking of when you got the standard MRI, the results would be the same. But for a functional MRI, the browse volition alter dramatically based on which regions of your brain are currently active. This distinction is critical. During the fNCI nosotros administer, patients complete a set of six cognitive tasks. Nosotros utilise the scans to meet which brain regions are involved in those tasks. Mail service-concussion patients exhibit clear patterns of hyperactivity or hypoactivity in the encephalon regions afflicted by their injury. When patients encounter established criteria, we can say with a great degree of certainty that they suffer from mail service-concussion syndrome. To learn more about other tests used during post-concussion diagnosis, please run across our article on tests for post-concussion syndrome. If you play contact sports (or are in other situations that increment your likelihood of sustaining a concussion), y'all could complete a baseline examination. A baseline test establishes what your normal functioning level is. Information technology usually involves some basic cognitive and reaction time tests and may also involve some residue testing. If y'all get a concussion after taking a baseline test, you lot can retake the test immediately after injury. If your scores go down significantly, then it'southward likely from your concussion. That said, the test isn't perfect — if it isn't administered in exactly the same way, for instance, you might non go accurate results. Some of the best baseline tests include an eye-tracking cess. Information technology's worth seeing if a clinic in your expanse offers baseline testing with that included. But again, baseline testing is only helpful if y'all do it before your concussion. After your concussion, it'south too late to be useful. If y'all think y'all have a concussion, it'south important not to return to normal life activities right away. The best recovery regimens involve a residual of practice, light activity, and rest. You lot can slowly scale up to your previous schedule based on symptoms. You lot may besides want to run into a physician, both for diagnosis and for help navigating recovery. In this department, we'll go over some pointers for recovery, along with when to see a md. If you sustained a concussion playing sports, do not return to play until you have fully recovered from your concussion. People who take sustained one concussion are more than susceptible to getting some other, especially when they haven't even so recovered from the get-go. Although rare, you would also risk second impact syndrome, a fatal condition caused in a modest percentage of people who sustain a 2d concussion while non yet recovered from the first. Bated from that, the worst thing you tin do is something called "cocooning." Cocooning involves resting all solar day in a dark room while avoiding all activeness (including screens). Many well-significant doctors yet give this medical advice because it's what they were taught in school. Just enquiry over the past decade has shown that cocooning tin actually increase your likelihood of long-lasting symptoms. Here's what you lot can do instead: Do your best to go plenty of sleep (only if you have a difficult fourth dimension sleeping, you're not alone — it'south a common symptom. This mail might assist.) We describe the astute concussion recovery procedure in depth in this post on how to care for a concussion. If yous'd similar extra guidance on how to work out safely, you lot can read our guide to post-concussion exercise. Seeing a doc is not e'er necessary if you've had a concussion. That said, it depends on your tolerance for adventure: If you lot want to be absolutely sure that you lot haven't sustained a worse injury than a concussion, see a dr.. If you take unevenly enlarged pupils, or whatsoever other symptoms of a severe traumatic brain injury, you should seek medical attention immediately. Hither are some of the astringent TBI symptoms listed by the NIH: Otherwise, going to the dr. actually depends on what you need. If your symptoms are balmy and yous have someone at home to watch over yous, then seeing a healthcare professional person may exist unnecessary. If information technology'south been a few weeks since your injury and you're still experiencing symptoms, information technology may be fourth dimension to consider a concussion treatment clinic. Nosotros've written a total post on how to discover a good dispensary that you can use in your search. Post-concussion syndrome is when you lot have long-lasting symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury. Most of the time, these symptoms will not go away without handling. The condition can be permanent, but afterwards treatment at our clinic, 95% of our patients experience statistically verified restoration of brain function. To learn more about how nosotros can aid you lot, sign up for a free consultation with our medical staff.
Can I Still Have a Concussion If ... ?
... If I Didn't Black Out?
... If I Didn't Striking My Caput?
... If I Feel Fine the Next Twenty-four hour period?
... If My Eyes Didn't Bear witness Any Modify?
... If the MRI or CT Browse Didn't Bear witness Anything?
What Are the Signs of a Concussion?
How You Hit Your Head: Does It Matter?
Common Symptoms of Concussion
Concussion Tests
Baseline Testing
If I Accept a Concussion, What Should I Practise?
Active Recovery
Visit a Md
What If My Symptoms Don't Go Away?
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Source: https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/how-do-you-know-if-you-have-a-concussion
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