As
faster skis, skateboards, inline skates and bikes are
being developed, more people are having head and neck
injuries. Sometimes it's obvious whether or not you need
to see a doctor- if your scalp is bleeding or if you've
been in a car accident! But let's say, while shooting
that awesome basket, you bang heads with your opponent.
You're on the floor, out cold for 30 seconds. You slur
to the coach, "I'll be okay. I'm going back into the game."
Staggering towards the ball, your vision is blurred and
you feel like you're going to be sick, but, "Hey, it'll
go away...if I can only have a nap."
A
very mild concussion or 'interruption of brain activity'
may have no obvious symptoms, but if the coach were to
quiz you in math and memory, there may be some hidden
deficits. Other symptoms of mild concussion are confusion,
dizziness, unsteadiness, loss of judgement, and amnesia
around the events. Severe concussions, like our basketball
example, may involve loss of consciousness, ringing in
the ears, headache, nausea, vomiting, nose or ear discharge,
convulsions, numbness or deformity. But, be aware that
a concussion may be severe even without actually passing
out. And don't forget about the neck, after all, it is
attached to the head! Watch for tenderness or stiffness
of the neck, and tingling, numbness or weakness of the
arms. Did you know that after a first concussion, the
risk of a second one is increased, and it takes a relatively
smaller blow? And to think that the object of the 'sport'
of boxing is to "knockout" your opponent or more specifically,
cause him moderate to severe brain injury! Hmmm.
Ooommffffff!
Boxing is sure fun...
If
you have any symptoms of concussion, see your doctor.
If the symptoms are severe or prolonged, you may need
to get a brain scan. When you are sent home, it usually
means 24 hours on the, "Head Injury Routine," which
means you're woken up every two hours to look for slurred
speech, confusion, and excessive sedation. I call these
the 'drunken' symptoms. And finally, let's not forget
about helmets, even for recreational activities like
tobogganing and skating - five percent of people participating
in sports will incur a head injury of some type. So
have fun, get fit, but stay safe.
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