What are concussions?

Concussions are very serious. Concussions are a type of brain injury, they can be caused by jolts, bumps, blows, or even hits to the body. This causes the head and brain to move rapidly which can damage brain cells. Concussions commonly occur in high impact sports but can happen to anyone.

Some concussion symptoms can occur immediately, or take time to appear. If you have a concussion or know someone who has a concussion talk to a doctor. And because the brain is so complexed, every brain injury is different.

Symptoms

• A headache or feeling of pressure in the head because the concussion is caused by trauma to the brain, it can cause an aching feeling to the head.

• Temporary loss of consciousness, loss of consciousness is caused when the brain crashes into the skull which can break nerves and fibers in the head causing you to blackout.

• Nausea/Vomiting, nausea is caused because your brain gets swirled around and because of this, it can make you feel sick, and you can even vomit.

• Delayed response to questions, when you get a concussion you frequently take a while to respond to questions. The reason for this is that it takes longer for the brain to process words, questions, and answers.    

This article is the first article in a series related to the Concussion Project. The Concussion Project is a collaboration between the University of Oregon and many other Oregon high schools. If you would like to share your concussion stories or would like to hear other peoples stories you can use the hashtag #RattledInOregon or contact me on my email [email protected].