Brain Injury

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

Brain injury can result from many types of injuries and severity can vary with individuals. Parents must be very aware of brain injuries, especially if your child participates in sports or has engaged in combat. Many schools do not want to get involved with brain injuries because it costs time and money and can slow down competitive sports. If your child has problems in school and it is related to repetitive brain injuries, you may be able to get special education help and medical rehabilitation for your child. Same is true for veterans who were exposed to explosions. Help is available.

Below is a CDC article on brain injuries.

Concussion

Most people with a concussion recover quickly and fully. But for some people, symptoms can last for days, weeks, or longer. In general, recovery may be slower among older adults, young children, and teens. Those who have had a concussion in the past are also at risk of having another one and may find that it takes longer to recover if they have another concussion.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Concussion?

Symptoms of concussion usually fall into four categories:

Thinking/ Remembering	Physical	Emotional/ Mood	Sleep
Difficulty thinking clearly	Headache Fuzzy or blurry vision	Irritability	Sleeping more than usual
Feeling slowed down	Nausea or vomiting (early on) Dizziness	Sadness	Sleep less than usual
Difficulty concentrating	Sensitivity to noise or light Balance problems	More emotional	Trouble falling asleep
Difficulty remembering new information	Feeling tired, having no energy	Nervousness or anxiety

Some of these symptoms may appear right away, while others may not be noticed for days or months after the injury, or until the person starts resuming their everyday life and more demands are placed upon them. Sometimes, people do not recognize or admit that they are having problems. Others may not understand why they are having problems and what their problems really are, which can make them nervous and upset.

The signs and symptoms of a concussion can be difficult to sort out. Early on, problems may be missed by the person with the concussion, family members, or doctors. People may look fine even though they are acting or feeling differently.