The media spotlight can be so helpful at times. We are finally shedding some much needed perspective and attention on concussion and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). These are really sneaky injuries because they can be caused by seemingly insignificant hits/impacts to the head. I really hate watching all of the ‘fail’ videos (you know, the ones all over ‘Chive TV’) because I feel like it glorifies people doing unnecessary damage to their body and brains for the sake of ‘going viral’.
Let me start by saying that the information in this post is in no way medical advice and you should consult your physician with questions concerning medical treatment.
Now that we have that out of the way, today we are just talking about the basics.
Things to know about concussion:
- The terms ‘concussion’ and ‘mTBI’ are used interchangeably but often times people view the word ‘concussion’ as referring to an injury that isn’t as severe as an mTBI. This is one of the reasons that treatment is often overlooked. Don’t be fooled! While the probability of full recovery (over 70%) is high, the way that we approach getting back to regular activities – both physical and cognitive – can have a significant impact.
- They are typically defined by including at least one of the following characteristics:
Loss of consciousness – 30 minutes or less
Person feeling disoriented or confused
Posttraumatic amnesia (PTA – having memory loss, confusion and/or disorientation after the injury and unable to store new memories) for less than 24 hours
Neurological abnormality, like a seizure
(Brown, J., O’Brien, K., Knollman-Porter, K., Wallace, T.*)
- For adults, we typically like to see symptoms resolve within 10-14 days after the injury, for children/adolescents, it’s more like 1-4 weeks.
What does it look like? Common symptoms after a concussion/mTBI:
- Dizziness
- Balance problems
- Trouble sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating
- Headaches
- Light sensitivity
- Changes in mood
There is A LOT of press focusing on concussions related to sports injuries whether it’s football, soccer or rugby, but don’t forget – concussions can come from other places too.
Other causes of concussion/mTBI:
- Car accidents – we usually talk about moderate to severe brain injury occurring from a car accident, but they are just as likely to cause a mTBI. All it takes is a quick whiplash or bump of the head on a steering wheel to experience a concussion
- Falls
- Struck by an object/assault
Remember, just because you don’t lose consciousness does not mean that you don’t have a concussion. I have worked with professionals that have said “They don’t have a brain injury, they just have a concussion”… That’s just silly.
What to do first? Research is showing that:
- Initial education is important – get to the doctor. Try to find someone with some neurological experience that you can trust to take your concerns seriously. If you aren’t satisfied then look it up! Here are a few places to start:
- Get rest for the first 24-48 hours after, then, slowly build up to returning to your regular activities.
- Stay positive! Try to keep reminding yourself that you will be able to recover, you just need a little time.
Depression and isolation are the enemy of the concussion.
What if you feel like you can’t do it on your own? That’s why Life Beyond Rehab is here. If you need help with finding a way to get back to what you love at the appropriate pace or if you have sought out treatment but now need help implementing everything that you learned into real life, give us a call! It can be hard to know where to start and even harder to ask for help.
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References:
Brown, J., O’Brien, K., Knollman-Porter, K., Wallace, T., The Speech-Language Pathologists’ Role in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury for Middle and High School-Age Children: Viewpoints on Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AJSLP, 1-8., 2019.
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