People in the sports world hear about concussions often, but do they really know what a concussion is or how to identify one? A concussion is an injury to the head that is caused by a blow to the skull. It can involve a loss of consciousness but it doesn’t have to.
The symptoms that someone would see with a mild concussion include slight mental confusion, some memory loss, some ringing in the ears, mild dizziness and pain in the area where the head was hit.
For a moderate concussion, the person will have mental confusion and definite memory loss. There will also be some headache or dizziness and moderate issues with balance. It’s possible that the person will feel nauseous and vomit. Moderate concussions also have a loss of consciousness, but one that is less than five minutes in length.
A severe concussion includes the same symptoms as the moderate concussion but at longer lengths. This would mean, for instance, that the mental confusion would last for more than five minutes, the dizziness would be intense, the amnesia would be prolonged, etc.
If an athlete thinks that he has had a concussion, or if he experiences a blunt hit to the head, he should be removed from the competition and not left alone. He needs medical attention immediately and he should avoid contact sports for at least three weeks.
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