How Concussions Occur
A concussion refers to a slight traumatic damage that happens when the skull hits an object or when one gets hit with a hard object on the skull. It has the effect of interrupting how the brain works. A concussion, according to medics is a medical state described by temporary and direct change in the brain’s role. A concussion be caused by a bang, blow or in some cases, damaging impact to the head.However this simple explanation is not enough to explain how concussions occur. This Research paper will delve deeper on this topic.
There are three types of concussions. Type one and two occur when the individual has temporary confusion, does not lose their consciousness and they experience a period of psychological status abnormalities. Type three concussions occur when the individual becomes unconscious for a couple of seconds. Such concussions often occur in sports and specifically football and hockey.
How Concussions Occur
Concussions are caused by various things such as a fall, car accidents or sports activities. The most likely cause of concussions is sports where there is physical contact, for instance, boxing, baseball, hockey or riding a motorbike or bicycle. Once, I witnessed a concussion when the horse my uncle was riding suddenly went wild throwing him off its back; this caused him to suffer a concussion since he was hit badly on the head. Different athletes have also experienced concussions, for instance Chicago Bears Jimmie Giles stated he suffered from one while he was playing specialized football. He even had regrets of playing football since it was linked to various effects. For instance, he was forced to resign from his accounting job as he often experienced black outs. He said that in one instance, he could not even recognize where he was.
Jarring, simply means a big movement of the brain that causes unconsciousness. The duration for unconsciousness is a sign of concussion; however, a concussion does not necessarily lead to unconsciousness. Majority of individuals who experience concussions do not pass out though they complain of seeing all black, stars or white. Some even experience concussions but they not realize it at all
Symptoms of Concussions
It is difficult to recognize a concussion. The symptoms can manifest after a couple of days or immediately after an injury. An individual with a concussion can have different symptoms some of which include headache, nausea and vomiting, acting confused and not thinking properly. It is also possible for one to lose their memory immediately after the injury has occured. Other crucial symptoms of a concussion include getting into a coma, unequal size of the eyes pupils, confusion that takes a long duration to disappear, walking and balance problems. Children or teens might have emotional symptoms which can include feeling irritated, sad or nervous. They can also have sleep problems, for instance, sleeping more than usual or less or they might have trouble getting to sleep.
Short term effects of concussions
They interfere with usual brain functioning and can even cause amnesia5.
Serious Neurological Impacts
Head injuries are related to serious neurological impairment. Bleeding in the brain can lead to pressure build up in the brain. The patient can also experience weakness in certain parts of the body, seizure and coma.
Long Term Effects of Concussions
While majority of those affected by concussions recover fully, they also pose serious effects and can be accompanied by hematoma. Though hematoma is not quite common, it occurs whenever there are serious effects. A subdural hematoma occurs when there is accretion of blood between the dura and brain. An epidural hematoma is greatly related to skull fracture and results to blood accumulation between the dura and the skull. An intercerebral hematoma can lead to bleeding in the brain. Also, it can cause damage to the head and in some cases, lead to death as a result of cessation of respiration. If any individual suffers from any form of hematoma, it is important for immediate action to be taken in order to release pressure that is caused by it. The major danger is that hematoma cannot be noticed easily until it becomes severe.
Secondly, post-concussion syndrome, which is after impacts of concussion comprise of recurring headaches, sensitivity to light, fatigue, dizziness and behavioral change. The worst is that once an individual suffers from a concussion, there is the possibility they can suffer from it once they get a violent snapping or blow to the head.
Thirdly, there are different concussion syndrome, a situation when the individual suffers from sequence of concussions. This happens often when concussion has long term or permanent.
Fourthly, second impact syndrome (SIS) happens when an individual, for instance, an athlete suffers second violent snapping or blow to the head when they are still suffering from the impacts of former concussions7. This can lead to severe hematoma which can also cause the individual to become unconscious and in majority of cases, the person can also die as a result of respiratory failure.
From the above discussion, it is clear that everybody can experience a concussion but those who take in physically engaging activities or sports are more likely to suffer from concussions. It is evident as well that different kinds of concussion can have long term effects on a victim and in some instances, they might not recover fully. As such, since it is not easy to identify symptoms of a concussion, it is vital that people should be vigilant especially after injury, so the situation can be corrected within the shortest duration possible.
Works Cited
Athi, Train. Cerebral Concussion: Causes, Effects, and Risks in Sports. Journal of Athletic Training, 3. 36 (2001): 307-311. Print.
Bressner, Jenine. Concussions in Football: Curbing the Inevitable. Harvard Science Review, winter, 1997.
Heck, Jon. “Stockton Athletic Training: Concussion Update”. Stockton.edu, 2013. Web. 19 Nov 2013. <http://www.stockton.edu/ospreys/Concussion/UpdateConcussion.htm>.
Minnesota Epilepsy Group. “Concussion: Short and Long-Term Impact”. Mnepilepsy.org, 2013. Web. 19 Nov 2013. <http://mnepilepsy.org/education/concussion-short-and-long-term-impact/>.
National Library of Medicine. “Concussion: Medline Plus”. Nlm.nih.gov, 2013. Web. 19 Nov 2013. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/con>.
Underwood, Tripp. “Studying the effects of multiple concussions”. Childrenshospital.org, 2013. Web. 19 Nov 2013. <http://www.childrenshospital.org/health-topics/thriving/studying-the-effects-of-multiple-concussions>.
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