What Are the Signs of Concussion?

The world of traumatic brain injury, or concussion, is ever-evolving as we continue to learn more about the effects that trauma can have on the central nervous system.

What we do know is that concussions are common — there are 1.7 to 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries each year in the United States, and 10% of these are due to sports (21% among kids and teens). The wide range is due to many of these head injuries going unreported, and we want to change that by reviewing key signs.

At Michigan Avenue Primary Care, our team of healthcare providers understands the impact that concussions can have, both in the short- and long-term. So, with that in mind, let’s look at signs of this common injury and what you should do next.

Recognizing a concussion

When you incur a concussion, your brain gets slammed against the walls of your skull, and this trauma can injure your brain and lead to neurological side effects that include:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Blurry vision
• Nausea and vomiting
• Ringing in your ears
• Slurred speech
• Loss of memory
• Loss of consciousness
• Cognitive issues — people often describe feeling like they’re in a fog
• Mental health issues, such as depression

It’s important to understand that these side effects can develop immediately or be delayed by days, if not weeks.

For starters, traumatic brain injuries are just that — trauma — and when your body faces trauma, it goes into a stress response that might temporarily mask symptoms.

Once that adrenaline and cortisol leave your body, however, the side effects of a concussion can start to appear.

And symptoms like depression and cognitive difficulties can appear later as your brain heals.

When to seek help for a concussion

Seeking help for a concussion is a gray area, as there isn’t a checklist you can follow. What we can say is that if there was any loss of consciousness, no matter how brief, please have us check you (or your loved one) out right away.

Outside of loss of consciousness, if you or your loved one exhibits any of the symptoms we describe above, and they linger for more than a day or two, please come see us.

We want you to seek our help so we can explain how to create a healing environment for your brain. During the months after an injury, your brain has a certain amount of neuroplasticity that we want to take advantage of. In other words, it’s our window for guiding the healing.

So, this might involve protecting your head during this time and avoiding high-sensory input to give your brain a break. 

Ultimately, we’ll guide you based on the severity of your concussion and your symptoms, and we’ll monitor you as you go. 

For expert care of head and sports injuries, please contact us at our clinic in Chicago, Illinois, in The Loop, to schedule a consultation with one of our healthcare providers. You can also visit our urgent care center during operating hours, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.