News tagged with concussion
How to know if a head injury is a concussion, when to call a doctor
Concussion has become a high-profile injury, with weekly media reports of star athletes knocked out of action for anywhere from a few moments to the remainder of their careers.
Oct 15, 2010 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
0
Second concussion can be serious for young athletes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Sustaining a second concussion shortly after a first one can lead to serious problems for young athletes, making it extremely important for players to be correctly diagnosed after being hit in the head.
Sep 22, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Building a better safety helmet
Student researchers at Northeastern University have developed the technology for a helmet that could measure the severity of head injuries suffered by fallen skiers or snowboarders and alert first responders ...
Jul 13, 2010 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
The Medical Minute: Be cautious with concussions
A concussion in young athletes can cause significant problems, especially if not recognized and treated properly.
Apr 07, 2010 |
4 / 5 (2) |
0
Study shows traumatic brain injury haunts children for years
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the single most common cause of death and disability in children and adolescents, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Now, according to a new study by UCLA researchers, the effects ...
Medicine & Health / Medical research
May 13, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Children with concussions require follow-up care before returning to play, say researchers
Children hospitalized with concussions should wait until they are seen by a clinician in a follow-up exam before returning to regular sports or playtime activities, according to researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
May 04, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Simple test may help judge concussion in athletes
A simple test of reaction time may help determine whether athletes have sustained a concussion (also known as mild traumatic brain injury) and when they are ready to play again, according to a study released today that will ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Feb 15, 2010 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Concussions change brains
(PhysOrg.com) -- The high incidence of concussions in contact sports and the risk of traumatic brain injury are a major cause for concern.
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 22, 2010 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Classifying concussions could help kids
It's estimated that more than a half million kids in the U.S. go to the hospital each year with a concussion.* That's an average of a kid per minute- every minute of every day. Some concussions are worse than others but it ...
Medicine & Health / Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Mar 02, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
0
Concussion
Concussion, from the Latin concutere ("to shake violently") or the Latin concussus ("action of striking together"), is the most common type of traumatic brain injury. The terms mild brain injury, mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), mild head injury (MHI), and minor head trauma and concussion may be used interchangeably, although the latter is often treated as a narrower category. The term 'concussion' has been used for centuries and is still commonly used in sports medicine, while 'MTBI' is a technical term used more commonly nowadays in general medical contexts. Frequently defined as a head injury with a transient loss of brain function, concussion can cause a variety of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms.
Treatment of concussion involves monitoring and rest. Symptoms usually go away entirely within three weeks, though they may persist, or complications may occur. Repeated concussions can cause cumulative brain damage such as dementia pugilistica or severe complications such as second-impact syndrome.
Due to factors such as widely varying definitions and possible underreporting of concussion, the rate at which it occurs annually is not known; however it may be more than 6 per 1,000 people. Common causes include sports injuries, bicycle accidents, car accidents, and falls; the latter two are the most frequent causes among adults. Concussion may be caused by a blow to the head, or by acceleration forces without a direct impact. The forces involved disrupt cellular processes in the brain for days or weeks.
It is not known whether the concussed brain is structurally damaged the way it is in other types of brain injury (albeit to a lesser extent) or whether concussion mainly entails a loss of function with physiological but not structural changes. Cellular damage has reportedly been found in concussed brains, but it may have been due to artifacts from the studies. A debate about whether structural damage exists in concussion has raged for centuries and is ongoing.
For more information about Concussion, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
