I guess one little perk of our Covid-19 isolation is that there was less sport and road trauma related concussion injuries???
It’s still a very important to understand and discuss concussion so here we go…
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that is caused by force either directly to the head (think a football collision) or an impact to another area of the body which transmits a force to the head (think car crash with whiplash of the head and neck).
Multiple concussions, especially in people under 18 years old, is linked to many mental health conditions in the future such as depression, anxiety and anger management issues; and research has shown a link with suicide around middle age. This is why it’s so important to diagnose and manage a concussion well.
These lists will be super handy for anyone playing sports, being a team manager, coach or sports trainer; anyone with kids…
Keep in mind that symptom onset can be delayed and that it can be quite common!
Clear signs include:
Possible subtle symptoms include:
If the player is under 18, there is evidence to suggest a slower rate of recovery. A more conservative approach is recommended so that the child does not return to contact/collision activities less than 14 days from resolution of all symptoms.
Obviously concussions are not one of the injuries that are in our wheelhouse. BUT … if you have an osteopath that you see regularly, we will keep a record of your concussion history and help you manage the symptoms and return to your sport of choice. We can also obviously help with any neck or back pain or stiffness that arises from the trauma that caused the concussion (after allowing the concussion symptoms to settle and ensuring no underlying damage to the brain of course).
If you have a history of multiple concussions, especially in an under 18 player, it is important to have a health professional that you report each and every concussion incident to, no matter how mild you think it may be. The more concussions you have the slower the recovery time, just like it is if you strain your hammy multiple times, someone needs to help you monitor and manage that so whether it is us or your GP or another health professional is fine but you need to keep updating one of us. Promise? Good!!
Side note: Have you seen the 2015 Will Smith movie called ‘Concussion’, very eye opening!