In order to keep your brain healthy, it is important to fully understand concussions. These brain injuries can have serious long-term consequences if they are not monitored and do not heal properly. Here are important facts that everyone should know about concussions.
1 – Concussions are a form of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) that are caused by hits to the head. A concussion occurs when the brain collides with the skull, leaving a bruise on the impacted portion. While these are often mild, in some cases they have left a person with permanent disability.
2 – Children are especially susceptible to problems with concussions. In the United States, approximately 500,000 emergency room visits are from children 14 or younger who have displayed concussion symptoms. Because their brains are still developing, and because children tend to play sports or engage in more physical activity than adults, it is important to monitor children for concussions to make sure these injuries fully heal to prevent long-term problems.
3 – Athletes are the most likely to suffer from concussions. Each year, approximately 300,000 athletes suffer concussions. This includes not just professional athletes but also amateur athletes and people just playing sports for fun. People playing football, boxing, lacrosse, soccer, and basketball are most likely to suffer concussions due to blows to the head that are common in these games. If you or your child plays one of these sports, it is especially important to understand concussions.
4 – Some people think concussions always result in loss of consciousness, but in reality only 10% of concussions result in a person being knocked out. This means that it is far more likely for a person to suffer a concussion and remain upright. There is no correlation between being knocked unconscious and the seriousness of a particular concussion, so even if a person remains aware of their surroundings they need to be examined immediately. No concussion should be ignored or minimized just because a person did not lose consciousness.
5 – Concussions generally cause blurred vision, headaches, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, or unconsciousness. If you notice one or more of these symptoms, stop playing IMMEDIATELY and see a health care professional. The best precautions a person can take if they have suffered a concussion is to rest their head and avoid further trauma. If you are a coach and one of your players exhibits these symptoms, pull them from the game and make sure they are healthy before returning to play.
A chiropractic neurologist can help if you have suffered a concussion. By running a series of tests, they can determine the seriousness of your concussion and develop a therapy plan that gets the brain healthy again. Keeping the brain healthy is the best way to ensure that a person is able to think clearly as they age. By working with a chiropractic neurologist, you can keep your brain as healthy as possible. To learn more about how an all-natural therapy can help with your concussion or other brain injuries, contact a chiropractic neurologist today.