Knowing the signs of a concussion, what comes next
JACKSON, Tenn. — With the topic of concussions becoming a growing area of discussion because of sports, experts have shared that most adults are not aware of some of the common signs of this brain injury.
“Symptoms are things like headache, nausea and vomiting, light sensitivity, just not feeling yourself, trouble sleeping. And it’s important to note that everyone’s unique, and everyone may have slightly different symptoms,” said Dr. Beth Deringer, a neurologist.
How serious are concussions? Does it matter if you have been knocked unconscious or if a headache is just mild? Experts say that every concussion should be treated seriously, as it is a brain injury.
“Every concussion is important. So even if somebody does not lose consciousness, even if they are not feeling too bad, it’s still important. That’s a brain injury. So I would argue, as a neurologist, that your brain is vastly more important than a sprained ankle. And people take sprained ankles very seriously. So every concussion is important,” Deringer said.
When you experience a concussion, what are your next steps? What is it going to look like as you begin to recover so that you can get back into the activities that you love doing? One of the first things you need to do is get an assessment to see the severity of the brain injury.
“It is important to know that everyone’s path is going to be different. But the first step is assessment because you can’t treat what you don’t know. There recently was cleared a FDA blood test, it’s a FDA cleared blood test, about a week ago that can evaluate if a brain injury has occurred or if it hasn’t,” Deringer said.
Some myths regarding concussions are that if you do not lose consciousness, then you do not have a concussion. Concussions can occur without losing consciousness.
Also, after being checked by a doctor, it is safe to sleep while you have a concussion. It gives you the ability to rest your brain.
One of the biggest problems with concussions are that symptoms are either not recognized, or they are ignored.
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