Written By: Pavitra Sampath | Updated : March 6, 2014 2:24 PM IST
As you wait patiently for the doctor to tell you and your loved ones about your illness, hoping against hope that everything is alright, the doctor speaks, but you don't understand a single word! Packed with medical mumbo-jumbo doctors usually speak a language that nobody but their own peers can understand. A patient is usually left absolutely blank after a consultation, and walks out with the blind belief that the doctor knows what he is talking about. We at Health.india.com are going to attempt to explain one term at a time, so that your next visit to the doctor is much smoother. Last week we explained what the term 'convalescence', 'prognosis','benign' and 'malignant' means, this week are are going to talk about the word 'concussion'.
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions. It can be caused by not only an injury to the head but also if the person's head or upper body has been shaken violently. A concussion may result in loss of consciousness in some cases, but not everybody loses consciousness because of a concussion. That is why lots of people suffer from concussions and don't realize it.
Concussions are common if you play contact sports like football or rugby, but it is important to remember that every time you have a concussion, you are damaging a part of your brain.That is why it is important to give your body enough time to rest and heal properly. The brighter side is that most mild concussions are easy to recover from.
Symptoms of a concussion:
Because of the nature of the injury, most people don't realize they have had a concussion, but even so, there are a few common symptoms:
In case of children, the common symptoms are irritability, listlessness, change in eating or sleeping patterns, lack of interest in playing and unsteady gait.
In case your child has hurt his/her head, it is important you visit the doctor, whether it is an emergency or not.
In the case of adults, you should see a doctor if the person has persistent vomiting, has been unconscious for more than 1 minute, shows change in his/her physical coordination, slurring of speech, vision disturbances, lasting or recurrent dizziness.
Lastly, if a person has suffered a concussion, it is important that he/she should not indulge in high intensity activities like sports etc. till they fully recover.
