How do you know if you have a concussion?
Signs & Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of a concussion may be slight and may not be noticeable at first. Once they appear, they can last for days, weeks or longer. If you or your child has recently been hit in the head or fallen, watch for the following early signs.
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Early Signs: (minutes to hours)
- Lack of awareness of surroundings
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea or vomitting
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Late Signs or Symptoms: (days to weeks)
- Headaches
- Light-headedness
- Poor concentration
- Trouble with memory
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Increased sensitivity to bright lights
- Increased sensitivity to loud noises
- Anxiety and/or depression
- Sleep disturbance
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Second Impact Syndrome
| Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) is a rare condition in which the brain swells rapidly and catastrophically after a person suffers a second concussion before symptoms from an earlier one have subsided. |
Concussion Facts Quiz...true or false?
1. Most concussions do not involve loss of consciousness.
2. You can get a concussion even if you dont hit your head.
3. Concussions do not show up on MRIs or CT scans.
4. A concussion is a brain injury.
5. All concussions need to be monitored and managed.
Managing concussions
Q: What is baseline testing?
A :Pre-season baseline assessment is cutting edge technology that is used to help ensure the safety and recovery of our young athletes who sustain a concussion. It is a short computerized test administered prior to the beginning of the season that measures selected brain processes and scores the test for each individual athlete. If an athlete sustains a concussion during the season the result of a post concussion test is compared to pre-season baseline results to help determine the severity and extent of the injury.
Utilizing a baseline test on student athletes can change the way concussions are identified and managed. A concussion is difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat. The data helps the physician and athletic trainer determine when the athlete’s brain functions have returned to baseline scores and when it is safe for the athlete to return to sports or activity. Research confirms that multiple successive concussions have the potential for more severe and lasting problems for athletes. Making certain that the brain is given time to heal following a concussion, both physically and cognitively, before return to active play is critical to the health and well being of the athlete. For the purpose of continuing play and or competition be aware that players suffering from a concussion may minimize and/or deny symptoms. Sometimes signs are hard to recognize, but that does not mean there is no danger. The shift from using global guideline-based concussion management measures and grading systems to utilizing the computerized, more objective and individualized management systems helps to eliminate subjective analysis on the sidelines and after the game.
All concussions are not the same and therefore should not be treated the same. We need to treat each individual concussion until it is resolved and the use of baseline testing gives us another tool to assist us in making sure that the brain has been allowed ample time to heal.
Click here for a list of high school in New Jersey currently using the ImPACT Baseline Testing Program