About Concussions

Concussions are often called an invisible injury, and this assessment is true in more ways than one. Obviously concussions as injuries are often overshadowed by tears and fractures in training rooms and doctor's offices, but a large part of this categorization is that many concussions occur without a loss of consciousness or with symptoms that manifest hours or days later. So what is a concussion?

To put it simply and unscientifically, the brain sits inside the not completely snuggly, but is rather floating in cerebrospinal fluid, which provides a barrier between the interior wall of the skull and the surface of the brain. When a strong amount of force, such as a blow to the head, impacts the skull, the brain will essentially slosh around within the skull before resettling. This movement causes the brain to make contact with the surface of the skull and suffer swelling, axonal damage, and metabolic disruption. This damage can cause a whole host of symptoms.

Here are some common symptoms of concussion:

• Headache
• Blurry Vision
• Nausea or Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Lethargy
• Balance problems
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to noise
• Depression
• Mental fog
• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Irritability
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty recognizing play calls
• Aphasia
• Disruption in normal sleep patterns
• Loss of Consciousness

(Source: CDC)

As an athlete, it's important to know the signs and symptoms of concussion not only to know when to remove yourself from play and get proper rest/treatment, but also to recognize symptoms that may arise in a teammate who is attempting to hide them, doesn't recognize them, or is simply too disoriented to remove himself from play.

Will every concussed person experience every symptom on this (non-exhaustive) list? Most likely not. But I wanted to put the whole myriad of symptoms together in one list to show how many ways a concussion can impact a person's life, and how many different ways there are of recognizing if a person has suffered a concussion. It's unfortunate, but every brain injury is different. Every last one.