What is a concussion?
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that disrupts normal brain function.
What is a concussion?
Concussions are injuries to the brain caused by hits or jolts to the head.
What is a concussion?
Concussions are injuries to the brain caused by hits or jolts to the head.
What Happens During a Concussion?
Why Do Some People Experience Symptoms for a Long Period of Time?
- Most people recover from a concussion within 1–6 weeks.
- Some individuals experience symptoms that persist for months or longer.
- Symptoms that continue beyond the expected recovery period may be referred to as Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS).
Recovery time varies from person to person. Factors such as age, injury severity, concussion history, and overall health may influence how quickly someone recovers. While most people recover fully, some individuals require additional medical support and rehabilitation.
Why Do Symptoms Occur?
During a concussion, the rapid movement of the brain can stretch and strain nerve fibers called axons. These fibers help different parts of the brain communicate with one another.
When communication between brain cells is disrupted, symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, and mood changes may occur.
Diffuse Axonal Brain Injury
- Frontal Lobes: If the axonal injury happens in your frontal lobes, you would develop symptoms like difficulty paying attention to what you read, making decisions, doing your homework or job responsibilities that require problem solving, and/or even driving.
- Cerebellum: If your cerebellum is involved, you may walk like a drunk person or have difficulty maintaining your balance.
Important: It is important to keep in mind that a trauma that impacts your brain may also damage your inner ear, your skull, or your spine. If the head trauma damages your inner ear, you may develop significant dizziness and vertigo. If the nerves at the base of your head are injured, you may develop constant neck pain and headaches. And if your spine is injured, you may develop serious paralysis in your arms or legs.
The exact details of what happens in the brain after a traumatic injury is still being worked out by scientists. Sometimes excessive levels of inflammation in the brain can actually cause some harm. Blood flow may also be affected due to damage in the brain’s blood vessels.
Fortunately, the vast majority of patients with traumatic brain injury gain full recovery and move on with their lives within three months. Some patients, however, can have disabling symptoms such as persistent headaches, memory problems, anxiety, insomnia, irritability, or even depression for a long time. Trouble sleeping and feeling constantly tired are some of the symptoms that can ruin one’s daily life.
You may wonder if all concussions are really that bad in the long term? The answer is, they can be. Mild concussions resolve within hours to days. But severe concussions that are associated with loss of consciousness can cause problems for a long time. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes patients with even what seems to be a mild traumatic brain injury can have lingering concussion for months.
When symptoms of a traumatic brain injury persist for more than 3 months, which can happen in about 20-30% of concussions, it is called post-concussion syndrome. You may have heard about this syndrome from the media coverage of common long-term consequences of concussion among athletes in contact sports such as hockey and football.
Patients suffering from persistent post-concussion symptoms may have trouble managing their emotions or have trouble focusing, paying attention, communicating, and processing information on a daily basis. The breakdown in their brains’ communication pathways makes it difficult for them to study, preform their job, or communicate well with their family members. Many of them become overly irritable or depressed and end up losing their job or getting a divorce. This is quite unfortunate, as most of their symptoms are treatable, if they are under the care of physicians who know how to care for concussion patients.
Key Takeaway
Concussion symptoms often result from temporary disruptions in communication between brain cells rather than visible structural damage to the brain.
Learn More About Concussions
Symptoms
Learn about the physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related symptoms commonly experienced after a concussion.