Concussion injury accidents affect 3.8 million just due to sports-related injuries such as football, baseball, and hockey. Pleasure activities include skiing, skateboard injuries, and motorcycle accidents adding thousands to that 3.8 million number above. Senior falls and accidents add to concussion numbers and health. In some concussions, small brain bleeds occur which are not diagnosed. These concussion injuries over time lead to higher rates of brain learning symptoms and dementia in later life. Concussions in sports whether professional or pleasure are often discounted by coaches and parents. It’s no big deal until they begin to fail in school or show up many years down the road as early dementia.
“Prof Elwood admitted being “taken aback” by the results, saying: “The men who had boxed had evidence of a lower cognitive function, of symptoms, of loss of memory, of confusion, and on their tests on their psychological functions.”
There was a “threefold increase” of symptoms and signs of Alzheimer’s, with the onset of dementia appearing up to eight years and, on average, five years earlier compared with those who had not boxed.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-59415741
Good video on sports injury concussions
Concussions from auto accidents and falls are often downplayed. Falls are a major contributor to death in the elderly.
Concussions can occur even with falls on ice as I experienced. In TN I fell down an icy hill hitting the back of my head. My head hurt bad. I crawled back up to the porch stairs and then called 911. They asked me if I could remember what happened and I did. Did I have double vision? No, I didn’t. They then said to rest and I would probably be fine. It was a week later when I realized that I could not concentrate on my writing or reading, conversations became intolerable, bright lights bothered me and I couldn’t remember my correct birthday date when asked. It took a year to recover from that fall.
During car accidents, whiplash often occurs. You may not have visible cuts on your head but the action of your head and neck being slammed around can be damaging both short term and long term. I can vouch for that.
Concussion Damage Adds UP! Do any of the below factors apply to you?
Did you get thrown from your horse?
Did you get thrown off your bike? Perhaps your 4-wheeler turned over?
Did you fall when a toddler as I did down an embankment?
Perhaps you fell off a tractor, out of a car or truck bed as a kid or teen? In the old days, people did not wear seat belts so those accidents happened often.
How many car accidents have you had?
Was their job injuries or battering from a spouse? Did you get abused physically as a child?
Patients when talking to their doctors later on in life do not remember some of the above events or don’t even consider them a problem so they don’t mention the events. All the above factors do cause damage. That damage is made worse by each new event even if years apart.
Signs of Concussion Memory Damage
Signs of concussion include head pain, headaches, dizziness, problems sleeping, mood changes, intolerance to bright lights, problems in concentration and reading, and the sudden inability to remember data and your birth date or that of those you love. You may experience these problems for days, weeks, months or permanently. When I had the car accident, I had severe short-term memory issues for over a year. My memory was never as good even years later, as before that accident. The most recent fall of ice some 9 years ago took months to heal. Each accident adds to damaged areas in the brain.
TBI Signs and Symptoms
https://www.amenclinics.com/services/concussion-rescue-program/
Physical
- Nausea
- Vision problems
- Balance problems
- Trouble sleeping
- Fatigue
- Sensitivity to noise and/or light
Cognitive
- Confusion
- Memory problems
- Difficulty with word finding
- Mental fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating or paying attention
Psychological
- Moodiness
- Increased anxiety
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts
Behavioral
- Angry outbursts
- Poor judgment
- Risky behavior
- Impulsivity
- Drug and alcohol abuse
Which symptoms are concussion red flags after you hit your head (youtube.com)
How to heal from a concussion.
Rest Your Brain and Body
- Stop whatever you were doing and rest. You should limit activity from several days to 4 weeks or more. Most of you reading this won’t want to hear this or do it but your future brain and memory health depends on your self-care after head trauma.
- Get out of the sun and drink water. Drinking adequate water is needed for the brain and body to heal properly. Eat even if you have no appetite because low blood sugar can make symptoms worse.
- The treatment depends on the severity of the accident and symptoms. Symptoms often do not present themselves immediately but over the next week after the fall or injury.
- “Do NOT take Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as naproxen (Aleve®) and ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) after a suspected concussion has occurred. These medications mask symptoms and thin the blood, which may increase the risk of bleeding. This is of special concern in elderly who fall and hit their head, as it’s not uncommon for these people to already be taking these drugs. After a concussion is diagnosed, if pain medication is needed, acetaminophen (Tylenol®) is a safer option. Symptoms need to be monitored closely.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15038-concussion
- If you have severe symptoms such as memory loss, nausea, balance issues, head pain, or severe headaches go to ER or your local doctor immediately.
- Limit activities such as computer work, computer games, loud music, reading, and watching TV. You may find that all these activities make your symptoms worse. Doing these activities may bring on headaches, agitation, and confusion or you will realize the information you are reading is not being understood.
- When you go back to work or other activities, go slow! Don’t push yourself or your brain. Work part-time until your brain and body heal. Overdoing it causes setbacks and injury.
- Chiropractic Adjustments do help by improving blood flow to the head, neck, and brain areas. If you can go to a chiropractor skilled in the areas of sports injuries and treatment that is more helpful.
- Brain SPECT imaging is NEW treatment that many people have no idea about! Learn about it now.
Why Choose Amen Clinics for Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment? I have taken classes by Dr. Amen and he is renowned for his innovative treatments. I do not receive any compensation in any way for telling you about his treatments. You can not get these treatments at your average doctor’s office or hospital.
“Brain SPECT imaging is one of the best tools available to identify areas of the brain hurt by TBI. CT and MRI scans show if there is any damage to the anatomy or structure of your brain, but these scans cannot tell how your brain is functioning.
In fact, after a TBI, CT or MRI scans will often appear normal when there is actually functional damage to the brain that can be detected with SPECT.
Brain SPECT imaging is also highly accurate in differentiating TBI from other disorders that have many of the same symptoms, such as PTSD. Two research studies published in 2015 by the research team at Amen Clinics and colleagues found that SPECT was able to differentiate PTSD from TBI with high accuracy. This research was recognized by Discover Magazine as #19 of the top 100 science stories of 2015.” https://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/concussions-and-traumatic-brain-injury/
“Injured Brains Work Differently
Typically, SPECT findings in TBIs include focal areas of decreased activity from the injury, as well as injuries in a contra-coup (opposing area) pattern. For example, in a whiplash injury, the brain may hit the inside of the front of the skull then ricochet and hit the back of the skull. This can lead to decreased activity in both the front part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) and the back part of the brain (the occipital lobe). Any area of the brain may be affected by a head injury, but some regions are especially vulnerable to injury, such as the temporal lobes, which are involved in moods, memory, and learning. In addition, the pituitary gland, which regulates hormone production, sits in a vulnerable part of the skull and is often hurt in head injuries, causing major hormonal imbalances.” https://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/concussions-and-traumatic-brain-injury/
“SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) is a nuclear medicine study that evaluates blood flow and activity in the brain. Basically, it shows three things: healthy activity, too little activity, or too much activity. The healthy surface brain SPECT scan on the left shows full, even symmetrical activity. The concussion scan on the right reveals unhealthy “holes” (areas that represent low blood flow and activity) in the damaged area.” https://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/concussions-and-traumatic-brain-injury/ .
In ending this blog, there is hope to heal from concussions. I went from burning eggs and not remembering my kid’s birthdays to writing again. It was a long haul plus getting Lyme disease in the same year as the last concussion. The next article will tell you the steps you can take to recover from a concussion.