Symptoms
Learn how concussion symptoms can affect the brain, what they may mean, and when to seek medical care.
Symptoms
CDC has a wealth of information about concussion symptoms and their treatment.
Symptoms
Click HERE for to check CDC’s webpage about concussion.
Emotional Symptoms
The frontal lobe helps regulate emotions, personality, and impulse control. After a concussion, some people may feel more irritable, anxious, sad, frustrated, or emotional than usual. Others may become overwhelmed more easily or react differently to situations that normally would not bother them. Emotional changes can occur unexpectedly and may affect relationships, school, work, or daily activities.
Common Symptoms:
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Sadness
- Mood swings
- Increased frustration
- Feeling overwhelmed
Treatment
If emotional symptoms are not improving within a few days, discuss them with your healthcare provider. Talking with friends, family members, a counselor, or a therapist can often help. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule, staying physically active as recommended by your doctor, and reducing stress may also support recovery. Seek professional help if emotional symptoms become severe or interfere with daily life.
Cognitive Symptoms
A concussion can temporarily affect the areas of the brain responsible for attention, memory, processing information, and communication. After a concussion, you may have trouble focusing, paying attention, organizing thoughts, remembering information, or completing tasks that normally feel easy.
Common Symptoms:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Trouble finding words
- Feeling mentally slower
- Difficulty following conversations
- Forgetting assignments or appointments
Treatment
Sleep & Fatigue
Sleep plays a critical role in brain recovery. After a concussion, some people have difficulty falling asleep, while others may sleep much more than usual. Many people report feeling unusually tired, even after getting a full night’s rest.
Common Symptoms:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Sleeping more than usual
- Sleeping less than usual
- Frequent nighttime awakenings
- Daytime fatigue
- Feeling exhausted after normal activities
Treatment
Headaches
Headaches are one of the most common symptoms of concussion. They may occur immediately after an injury or develop later. Some headaches feel similar to migraines and may be accompanied by sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound, nausea, dizziness, or difficulty concentrating. Headaches may worsen with physical activity, mental exertion, or excessive screen time.
Common Triggers:
- Bright lights
- Loud environments
- Extended screen time
- Physical exertion
- Stress
Treatment
More Serious Neurological Symptoms
While most concussion symptoms improve with time, some neurological symptoms may indicate a more significant injury and require prompt medical evaluation. These symptoms can affect balance, coordination, vision, movement, and other important brain functions.
Common Symptoms:
- Double vision
- Severe dizziness
- Persistent balance problems
- Significant confusion
- Numbness or weakness
- Difficulty walking
- Difficulty speaking
Treatment
EMERGENCY WARNING SIGNS
Most patients with a minor concussion may have symptoms such as headache, fatigue, or difficulty thinking clearly for a few hours or a couple of days. For example, a teenager who gets hit in the head by another player during a basketball game might not feel right that day or the next. But by the third day, she could be back to her usual self. A big question, for which there is no straightforward answer, is when coaches should call 911 or take the child to the emergency room.
In rare cases, and mostly in situations such as soldiers injured in battlefields or patients involved in major car crashes or falls, trauma to the head causes bleeding in the brain.
The internal blood collection can be the size of a ping-pong ball or the size of an orange. In situations where the hemorrhage in the brain is large, surgeons may have to temporarily remove a portion of the skull so that the swelling and pressure caused by the brain bleed does not become life-threatening.
There is no easy way to look at a person and determine if they have a brain bleed or spinal cord injury. But in severe cases, patients may have certain symptoms that are not typically seen in patients with less urgent concussions.
Call 911 Immediately If You Notice:
- A severe or worsening headache
- Repeated vomiting
- Increasing confusion
- Slurred speech
- Weakness or numbness
- Difficulty walking
- Unusual behavior, extreme agitation, or aggression
- A seizure
- Loss of consciousness