All experts agree-A concussion is a brain injury. No doubt about it!
90% of all brain injuries are concussions.
The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) recognizes that concussion injuries do involve damage to brain cells and, therefore, are brain injuries:
”“A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury – or TBI – caused by a bump, blow, or jolt of the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around and twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells"
The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine agrees, defining a concussion as a subset of mild traumatic brain injury,
”“a traumatically induced transient disturbance of brain function (involving) a complex path though physiological process”.
A total loss of consciousness (as in “out cold”) is not required. Any “alteration of mental state”, such as “feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused” (in layman’s terms a quote brain fog”).
A direct blow to the head is not required. A blow to any part of the body which causes a “whiplash” force to the head is sufficient to cause a concussion injury.
Many of the typical symptoms of a concussion are not immediately evident-delayed onset of symptoms is typical. The recent experience of US soldier is Iraq that suffered concussion injuries due to an Iranian missile strike is instructive. In the first day, it was reported that there were “no injuries”. Over the course of the next 30 days, a total of 107 concussion injuries were diagnosed, more that 50% of the soldiers in the area.
Concussion victims are often not aware of the fact that they have sustained a concussion injury and are mis-informed. A recent study by Abbott (formerly Abbott Laboratories) revealed the following:
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- More than 80% of adults cannot identify the most common signs and symptoms of concussion, and
- Only 11 % would go to the emergency room if they thought they had a concussion.
The most well-accepted definition is that established by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Special Interest Group is:
Definition: a patient with mild traumatic brain injury is a person who has had a traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function, as manifested by at least one of the following:
- .Any period of loss of consciousness
- Any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the accident
- Any alteration of mental state at the time of the accident (e.g. Feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused); and
- Focal neurological deficits that may or may not be transient
Many folks refer to concussions as “mild” traumatic brain injuries. However, reliable experts say “There is nothing mild about concussions.”
Studies show that concussions produce 500,000 concussions and 225,000 long-term impairments each year. A leading concussion expert emphasizes the importance of concussion injuries, saying this:
”…comparing the prevalence of patients showing long-term impairment from mild TBI to other diseases is startling: approximately 225,000 new patients each year show long-term deficits from mild TBI, approximately equal to the number of patients diagnosed annually with breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and traumatic spinal cord injury combined.
The minimum requirement for a concussion injury is “an alteration of mental f
The CDC also recognizes that concussion injuries do involve damage to brain cells and, therefore, are brain injuries:
”“A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury – or TBI – caused by a bump, blow, or jolt of the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around and twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells. "
The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine agrees, defining a concussion as a subset of mild traumatic brain injury,
”“a traumatically induced transient disturbance of brain function (involving) a complex path though physiological process”.
The most well-accepted definition is that established by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Special Interest Group is:
Definition: a patient with mild traumatic brain injury is a person who has had a traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function, as manifested by at least one of the following:
- Any period of loss of consciousness
- Any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the accident;
- Any alteration of mental state at the time of the accident (e.g. Feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused); and
- Focal neurological deficits that may or may not be transient