A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells.  

Some concussion symptoms may appear right away, while others may not appear for hours or days after the injury. Symptoms generally improve over time, and most people with a mild TBI or concussion feel better within a couple of weeks.  Symptoms of concussion may affect how you feel, think, act or sleep.

 

 

Physical	Thinking and remembering	Social or Emotional	Sleep
Bothered by light or noise	Attention or concentration problems	Anxiety or nervousness	Sleeping less than usual
Dizziness or balance problems	Feeling slowed down	Irritability or easily angered	Sleeping more than usual
Feeling tired, no energy	Foggy or groggy	Feeling more emotional	Trouble falling asleep
Headaches	Problems with short- or long-term memory	Sadness
Nausea or vomiting (early on)	Trouble thinking clearly
Vision problems

 

Seek immediate emergency medical care if you have danger signs:

• Have a headache that gets worse and does not go away
• Experience weakness, numbness, decreased coordination, convulsions, or seizures
• Vomit repeatedly
• Have slurred speech or unusual behavior
• Have one pupil (the black part in the middle of the eye) larger than the other
• Cannot recognize people or places, get confused, restless, or agitated
• Lose consciousness, look very drowsy or cannot wake up

 

 

Further your concussion knowledge with the links below:

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Concussion
  • Training for Coaches, Parents, Athletes

 

• Brain Injury Association of New York State

 

• New York State Department of Education- Concussion Management Guidelines