The word concussion has been derived from the Latin word “concutere” (to shake violently). This is the most common and perhaps the least serious of all the traumatic brain injuries. Other interchangeable terms for concussion might be mild brain injury, mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), mild head injury (MHI), and minor head trauma.

The term concussion is generally used in relation to sports or general usage. MTBI is used for medical purposes. The International Olympic Committee Medical Commission and other sports federations organized the first International Symposium on Concussion in Sport.

They defined concussions as a “complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces.” Here the neurological functions are temporarily impaired that is quickly recovered without any gross sign of long tem damages.

Concussion Causes

Concussions are caused by an injury of the brain as a result of severe blow on the head. This can be due to a lot of reasons. Some of the common causes for concussion include the following:

Sports injuries

Injuries of the soldiers in the battlefields due to assault or blasts

Bicycle accidents

Vehicle accidents

Falls

Assaults

Industrial injuries

General accidents

Anyone and everyone can suffer from concussions as a result of minor head injuries, but children are more prone to concussions due to negligence and lack of consciousness. Among adults, the soldiers and sports persons are the ones who suffer from concussions most as they are more exposed to situations leading to head injuries.

What is the mechanism of concussion?

After a head assault, any of the three types of motion occurs in the brain. These are linear movement of the brain, rotational movement, or angular movement of the brain. It is primarily the rotational movement of the brain that causes concussions.

That is why, a blow in the head by a football is less harmless than punches in the boxing, since the boxing punches exert more rotational force to the brain than being hit by football. Though the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain as a protective covering generally succeeds in protecting the brain from light trauma, but more serious forces break through this protection and affect the brain.

Concussion Symptoms

The symptoms of concussion are generally visible, and can be identified easily. Some of these symptoms of concussion are as follows:

Physical symptoms associated with concussions:

Headaches

Dizziness

Vomiting

Nausea

Lack of motor coordination

Difficulty in balancing and movement

Tinnitus, or ringing in the ear

Blurred vision or double vision

Convulsions might also occur, though very rarely in one out of seventy cases

Cognitive or emotional symptoms:

Confusion

Disorientation

Difficulty in focusing attention

Loss of consciousness

Memory loss

Poor concentration

Anxiety

Mood swings

Loss of interest

Emotional outbursts

Certain post-concussion effects are also observed in the patients that last long. In such cases regular medical monitoring is recommended, though hospitalization is not necessary.

Concussion Treatment

Generally no medical treatment is prescribed to treat concussions. The more home-based treatment of concussion are as follows:

Rest

Plenty of sleep

Healthy food

Painkillers to relieve headaches

Admission to hospital for close monitoring is needed in severe cases

Antidepressants, if really needed

Since most of the time concussions occur due to accidents, it cannot exactly be prevented. But certain preventive measures can be taken beforehand to avoid serious injuries. They are as follows:

Avoiding situations where head injuries might occur

Use of protective head gears wherever necessary

Wearing seat belts

Use of airbags in car

Antiskid flooring, especially in the bathroom

Most important of all the preventive measures is that immediately after any sort of head injury, one must not delay in seeking medical help, because if the nature of the injury is too severe then it might lead to fatal consequences.

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