About this topic
Concussion is a brain injury caused by a hit to the head. Anything that makes the brain bounce around and against the skull can cause a concussion. This might include falling, sports injuries, car crashes, or a hit to the head. ‚
Some signs of a concussion may show up within minutes to hours. You may have been knocked out at the time of the injury. You may have a headache afterwards or feel confused. Sometimes you are not able to remember what happened. You may have an upset stomach or throw up. It is normal to feel sleepy or act cranky or out of sorts. Concussions can also cause you to have signs that show up days to weeks after the injury happens. These include: ‚
- Trouble walking or talking
- Problems with memory or paying attention
- Trouble sleeping
- Mood or behavior changes
- Changes in vision
- Feeling bothered by noise or light
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what you need to do.
- Healing may take time so you need to be patient.
- Be sure to have an adult look after you for the first 12 to 24 hours after you are home. It is OK for you to go to sleep. Your doctor may want you to have someone wake you up every 1 to 3 hours for the first 12 hours. That person should make sure you are able to fully wake up and know where you are. They should call for help if you do not fully wake up or do not know where you are.
- Make sure family and friends know of your injury and how to help.
- Rest your body. Do not work out. You should not use exercise machines such as treadmills, or do other heavy activities. Light activity is OK.
- Rest your brain. Stay away from doing things that need a lot of thought or focus. Stay away from TV, computers, and video games until your doctor says OK.
- Be as comfortable as possible. Place an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel over the painful part. Never put ice straight on the skin. Do not leave the ice on more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
- Take your pain-relieving drugs if your head hurts.
- Stay away from beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol) until you fully recover.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep your visits.
- Your doctor may do tests, such as a CT scan, MRI, or x-rays. These tests will check to see if other structures inside your head were harmed.
- Your doctor may send you to a rehab expert. They may be able to help you to get your brain function back and help you to recover faster.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Help with dizziness
- Treat or prevent seizures
Will physical activity be limited?
- Physical activity may be limited for some time. Doing things that require thinking or memory might also be limited. Check with your doctor about when you can go back to your normal activities. These may be limited as long as you have the signs of a concussion.
- You should be able to do light activities like reading and walking. Slowly add to your activities. Avoid tiring activities, heavy exercise, and swimming.
- Ask your doctor when it is okay for you to drive.
- When you go back to work, talk to your employer about your job. You may need some limits on what you do. You may need to have someone check your work every now and then. Make sure teachers know of your problem if you are in school.
- Avoid doing things that may put you at risk of another head injury.
- Ask your doctor when it will be safe for you to return to playing sports.
What problems could happen?
- Bleeding or swelling in the brain
- Damage to the brain which may lead to changes in mental, physical, and emotional behavior
- Seizures
- Low mood
- Hearing, smelling, or eye problems
- Memory loss
- If you get a new concussion while not yet fully recovered from the first one, you might have brain swelling which could be dangerous.
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Do not drive when you are taking drugs for pain or that cause you to be sleepy. Do not drink alcohol and drive. Do not drive when you are tired.
- Always wear a seatbelt when you drive or ride in a car.
- Wear proper protective equipment when you play sports.
- Wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle, bicycle, skateboard, roller skates, or when skiing or snowboarding or doing other similar activity.
- Stay away from unsafe activities that may cause falls.
- Wear hard hats and protective gear if you work in construction or other dangerous jobs or if you work on ladders or in high places.
When do I need to call the doctor?
Problems with your brain like: ‚
- More confusion, drowsiness, or any change in ability to think clearly
- Not being able to remember things
- Very sleepy (more than expected) or hard to wake up
- Behavior changes like angry outbursts or thoughts of hurting yourself or others
- Headache gets worse or feels different
Problems with your eyes, ears, or mouth like: ‚
- Trouble speaking or slurred speech
- Blurry eyesight, seeing double, or other problems with your eyesight
- Bleeding or clear liquid drainage from your ears or nose
Problems with how you move or feel like: ‚
- Upset stomach and throwing up that wont go away
- Dizziness or fainting
- Staggering or trouble walking
- Lack of strength or numbness of an arm, leg, or any part of your body
- Stiff neck
- Seizure
- Losing control of your bladder or bowels
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you why it is important to protect my brain from another concussion while it is healing.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have problems remembering things.
Where can I learn more?
Brain Injury Association ‚
http://www.biausa.org/mild-brain-injury.htm ‚
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‚
http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/index.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚