Essay about Post Concussion Syndrome

Some patients, however, do experience post-concussion syndrome (PCS) with symptoms lasting longer than expected. Post-concussion syndrome can include physical, cognitive, and emotional problems, including headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating or completing tasks, irritability, and the sense that you “just don’t feel like yourself”.

First we must define what a concussion is, according to Graham, R., Rivara who wrote the book over concussions in youth (2014), states that 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. Going more in detail about the inner workings of the brain, it is made of soft tissue. Also cushioned by spinal fluid that both provide a protective shell of the skull. When you sustain a concussion, the impact can jolt your brain. Sometimes, it literally causes it to move around in your head. There are three different types of concussions they are graded as mild (grade 1), moderate (grade 2), or severe (grade 3), depending on such factors as loss of consciousness, amnesia, and loss of equilibrium according to Kimbler,, D. E. (2011) and the news journal Concussion and the Adolescent Athlete. In a grade 1 concussion, symptoms last for less than 15 minutes. There is no loss of consciousness.With a grade 2 concussion, there is no loss of consciousness but symptoms last longer than 15 minutes. And in a grade 3 concussion, the person loses consciousness, sometimes just for a few seconds.A lot of people only think that concussions can come from sports

A concussion is when you go unconsciousness for a little while caused by a blow to the head. The term is also used loosely of the after effects such as confusion or temporary incapacity. Concussion is are known as a mild brain injury that is a mild brain injury MTBI mild head injury and a little head trauma. Some experts will define a concussion as a head injury with temporary loss of brain function which can cause some cognitive physical and emotional symptoms. Symptoms may also include headache, confusion, lack of coordination. The term concussion describes an injury to the brain resulting from a hard impact to the head. By definition a concussion is not a life threatening injury but should be treated fast . The use of protective headgear can decrease the risk of a concussion when you are engaging in any of the following activities Contact martial arts sports such as boxing, karate, and others Football. Most post concussion symptoms such as headaches, sensitivity to noise and light, dizziness, fatigue and memory problems go away with about seven to ten days after the injury but sometimes post concussion symptoms can last up to about 3 months. Rarely do symptoms last longer. What can you do when you have a concussion? Some people who have had a concussion find that at first it

Concussions have huge negative effects on the brain. Repeated trauma alters the structure and function of the brain. Researchers have used MRIs to demonstrate that maltreated children have smaller head size and brain volume compared to children with no history of maltreatment (De bellis. Keshavan, Clark, Case, Giedd, Boring et al.,1999; Mulvihill, 2005). Smaller brain sizes may be responsible for lower intelligence or cognitive ability, less impulse or emotional control, motor development delays, diagnosis or mental and psychological disorders and poor socio-emotional and or psychological function (De Bellis; Glaser, 2000). Some the the symptoms that occur after a concussion are according to (Aubry, 2002, pp.6-18) unaware of period, opposition, score of game, confusion, amnesia, loss of consciousness, unaware of time, date, place, headache, dizziness, nausea, unsteadiness/loss of balance, Feeling “dinged” or stunned or “dazed”, “Having my bell rung”, Seeing stars or flashing lights, ringing in the ears, and/or double vision. After a possible concussion any one or

Concussion is defined as a biomechanically induced brain injury, and classified as a mild traumatic brain injury that interrupts normal brain function. Every person is different, and every person will respond in their own way to a concussion. No anatomical lesions are present to cause the associating symptoms such as; possible loss of consciousness, dazed appearance, dizziness, headache, nausea, confusion, and tinnitus. These

Getting multiple concussions can lead to cognitive impairments, which means that the person may struggle with attention, memory, learning, critical thinking, and reasoning skills (Mental Health Daily). It can also lead to motor decline, which means the person may struggle with their balance, coordination, or movement (Mental Health Daily). They may also suffer problems with communication, meaning the way they talk or process what others are saying (Mental Health Daily). And they can also suffer from Neurodegeneration, which means neurons lose their function or even the death of neurons. Neurodegeneration could lead to a person suffering from a disease like dementia. This is why a person who has suffered from a concussion must fully recover, meaning they have no more symptoms and their brain has healed completely, before they restart any activity that can cause another

A concussion is a mild head injury which is sustained by a jolt or impact to one's head. “Concussions can be caused by a variety of traumatic events: motor vehicle accidents, penetrating injuries, sports injuries, strikes, and falls”(Schafer, 2014). Side effects of concussions range from clumsiness. slurred speech, nausea or vomiting, headache, balance problems or dizziness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light and noise, sluggishness, ringing in the ears, personality changes, difficulty concentrating and memory loss. A concussion is similar to a bruise on an arm or leg but instead the bruise is on the tissues of the brain. Since people can’t see the damage of the injury to the brain many concussions go undiagnosed or untreated for days weeks or even years. When a concussion goes undiagnosed or untreated it can result in further head trauma: untreated it can lead to blood clots and tumors in the brain, an onset of parkinson’s disease and in worst cases death. However it wasn't until 2011 that the issue of concussions went into the public spotlight.

There are long-term as well as short-term symptoms. The most common symptoms are confusion, headaches, dizziness, nausea, difficulty with memory, and disturbances with vision. Other symptoms include clumsiness, slurred speech, sluggishness, ringing in ears, and behavioral or personality changes. There are three different types of concussions and the symptoms vary for each. These three are grade 1, 2, and 3. In a grade 1 concussion, there is no loss of consciousness and symptoms last for no longer than 15 minutes. Grade 2 concussions entail no loss of consciousness but symptoms last a bit longer. Finally, in grade three concussions, symptoms last for weeks and even months with the immediate symptom of losing consciousness. Even if you don’t feel any symptoms, your brain is still not 100 percent. In addition suffering one concussion makes someone more susceptible to suffering an additional concussion. If you were to suffer multiple concussions, it puts you at risk for second impact syndrome, which has its own symptoms very similar to any normal concussion. This condition could be life threatening. (Retrieved from http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/concussions-in-sports) This is very uncommon in most people and really only applicable to athletes but leagues have still taken action to avoid this condition. If anyone has any symptoms of a concussion or hit their head hard enough, they should see a doctor

When you have a concussion it can be hard to focus, you can have lower test scores, and every time you get a concussion you damage your brain long term more and more [Newsela]. Also, after you get one concussion you have a better chance of multiple concussions, like cognitive impairments, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and also it can cause post concussion syndrome [Flynn]. 9/10 teens who continue to show symptoms of brain injury have academic problems like headaches and bad concentration. Once you have multiple concussions you can get syndrome like cognitive impairments (MCI's), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and post-concussion syndrome (PCS). Headache (85%) and Dizziness (70-80%) are most commonly reported symptoms immediately following concussions for injured athletes [Flynn].“The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research in Chapel Hill, NC, reported 35 cases of Second-impact syndrome [SIS] among American football players from

Side effects of concussions can include behavioral changes, affected judgment and affected attention. These things seem like no big deal, but in reality can endanger people. By having changes in a persons judgment and attention, an individual's driving skills can be impacted. Someone's cognitive skills such as coordination could become an issue while driving, and skills that the individual still thought that they had perfected, might have worsened. This can make a person a danger on the road. The fact that people can also suffer from emotional changes, and their behavior can change, makes them dangerous in confrontations. By having changes in judgment you might have less of a thought about the right and the wrong. The impact of a concussion can cloud and individual's thinking and make an individual a danger to everyone, including the person being affected. The effects of a seemingly minor mental trauma can linger for over 30

Signs of a concussion include alteration of the individuals mental state, loss of consciousness, and in some cases convulsive movements may occur (P. McCrory et al., 2013; Silver et al., 2011). There are also symptoms that may be seen after some time has passed after the initial impact, such as behavioral changes, impaired cognitive

When admitted, person suffering from a concussion may appear dazed or stunned, confused, answer questions slowly, repeat questions, and be unable to remember current events (Borich, 2013). Other physical symptoms may include headache, nausea, vomiting, balance problems, dizziness, visual problems including double vision and sensitivity to light, fatigue, numbness or tingling,

Concussion disrupts different elements of an individual’s higher-order of intelligence . Impairment includes a person struggling with memorization, paying attention, critical thinking, learning, and reasoning skills. If the individual 's attention is impaired, he/she finds it hard to stay focused while at sports, work or any activity, they experience brain fog or abnormal brain waves. Frequent concussions for an extended period may make the individual have a difficult time learning new skills and information as it disrupts the memory. Concussed individuals have difficulties with dysphoric moods and

c. These long term affects can be seen from several months to many years after

After a person has experienced a concussion, they must deal with lasting affects to their brain. It is best for the people that undergo a concussion to understand that these affects are normal, their concussion will hold them back in different areas within their life, and the affects never go away. Many symptoms are common after dealing with a concussion. Symptoms include headaches, light sensitivity, and reaction to loud noises. Headaches occur often when people are concentrating hard or when they are staring at a screen for long periods of time. After a concussion, all lights become an obstacle. Lights are either too bright to handle or are dull making it hard to focus on the environment around a person. This light sensitivity leads to the person becoming queasy or developing a crippling headache. The noise sensitivity is definitely the worse symptom. It can turn an average day passing from class to class, into a time where the person feels like