Concussion Facts
Concussion Facts
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| Interesting Concussion Facts: |
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| A concussion can occur from a direct blow to the head, a direct blow to the body, from whiplash, or when the head rotates from side to side quickly. |
| A concussion occurs when the brain, which floats inside the skull in cerebral spinal fluid, is impacted in such a way that it hits the skull or when it moves too quickly, damaging neurological pathways. |
| Younger athletes (high school aged and younger) are more susceptible to concussions than older athletes (college aged). |
| Once a person has had one concussion they are more susceptible to another. |
| Sports that commonly result in concussions for athletes include basketball, hockey, rugby, football, and soccer. |
| Non-sport causes of concussions often include falls, car accidents, and cycling accidents. |
| Most people that suffer a concussion will be healed within 10 days. It is estimated that approximately 25% of the concussions that occur are never diagnosed by medical professionals either because symptoms are too mild to notice or because the person does not want to be restricted from their sporting event(s). |
| Some of the early signs of a concussion include headaches, nausea and/or vomiting, vision problems such as dizziness, fatigue, and even passing out. |
| If a doctor suspects that a concussion might be serious they may send the patient for imaging such as a CT scan. |
| Sometimes a concussion can lead to very serious medical emergencies such as serious brain injury, or even bleeding that can be life threatening. Signs of a serious brain injury include unconsciousness, failure to wake up, convulsions, seizures, slurred speech, an enlarged pupil, decreased coordination, confusion, and worsening headaches. |
| After suffering a concussion it is important that the person gets lots of rest, and avoids strenuous activities until fully recovered. |
| In sports there is a protocol for athletes after a concussion called 'Return to Play' which is a specific set of rules that govern when an athlete can return to play based upon their progression of healing. |
| It is estimated that more than 3.8 million concussions occur each year in the United States. |
| Less than 10% of the concussions experienced in the U.S. each year result in unconsciousness. |
| Football is the riskiest sport for male athletes and soccer is the riskiest sport for females in regards to concussion risk. |
| In one season it is estimated that a pro football player will sustain as many as 1500 blows to the head. |
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