Postconcussion Syndrome

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate пїЅ пїЅ

What is postconcussion syndrome? " пїЅ Postconcussion syndrome is a condition that happens after a mild brain injury. A "concussion " пїЅ is another word for a mild brain injury. пїЅ пїЅ

Common causes of mild brain injuries include: пїЅ пїЅ

Car accidents
Falling down and other accidents that can happen from daily activities
Injuries from playing sports such as football, ice hockey, soccer, and boxing
Injuries that can happen to soldiers during combat. These include injuries from blasts and bullet wounds.

What are the symptoms of postconcussion syndrome? " пїЅ The symptoms include: пїЅ пїЅ

Headache
Dizziness
Feeling very tired
Feeling irritable or anxious
Memory problems or problems paying attention
Problems with sleep
Being easily bothered by noise

Will I need tests? " пїЅ Maybe. Your doctor or nurse should be able to tell if you have postconcussion syndrome by learning about your symptoms and doing an exam. пїЅ пїЅ

But depending on your symptoms, you might have tests to make sure you do not have a different problem. For example, some people have an imaging test called an MRI that creates pictures of the brain. пїЅ пїЅ

How is postconcussion syndrome treated? " пїЅ The treatments are different depending on which symptoms a person has. There are medicines that can help with headaches, dizziness, and other problems. пїЅ пїЅ

If you have postconcussion syndrome, your symptoms will probably start to go away after about a week. Most people start to feel better in a week or 2 and are back to normal in 3 months. But a few people have symptoms that last longer. пїЅ пїЅ

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 17132 Version 2.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.208 пїЅ пїЅ

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Postconcussion Syndrome

The Basics

Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer

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