A concussion is an injury to the head area that may cause instant loss of awareness or alertness for a few minutes up to a few hours after the traumatic event. Some concussions are mild and brief, and the person or untrained observer may not recognize that a concussion has occurred.
Neha Raukar, MD, sports medicine physician at Hasbro Children’s, discusses how to spot the signs of a concussion, and why youth athletes should take recovery seriously when it comes to head injuries.
Many of the cases of concussion that require emergency treatment are because of falls, motor vehicle injuries, assaults and sports injuries. Children, young adults and older adults are at especially high risk for concussions and may take longer to recover after a concussion.
Symptoms include:
These symptoms may occur right away, but some symptoms may not start for weeks or even months after the injury.