Parish Nursing

HEALTHCARE Ministries
CONCUSSIONS

    Your brain has the consistency of gelatin. It is cushioned from jolts and bumps by the cerebrospinal fluid that floats in inside your skull.  A violent blow to your head can cause your brain to slide forcefully against the inner wall of your skull.  The sudden stop of a car crash can bounce your brain off the inside of your skull.  This can result in bleeding in or around your brain and the tearing of nerve fibers.  Any blow to the head can cause a concussion, with or without other injuries; but a blow to the head is not necessary to cause it.  A baby can have a concussion from being violently shaken. Concussions share one common factor--they temporarily interfere with the way your brain works. They can affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance, and coordination. They don’t always involve a loss of consciousness.  People who have had a concussion double their risk of developing epilepsy during the first five years after the injury.

   Concussions are common especially if you play a contact sport such as football.  Every concussion  injures your brain. You need to wear a helmet during recreational activities such as bicycling, motorcycling, skiing, horseback riding, skating or engage in any activity that may result in a head injury.  Wear protective headgear. Wearing a seat belt may prevent a head injury during a traffic accident. Make your home fall proof.  Keep your home well lit and your floors free of clutter that might cause you to trip.

   Falls around the home are the leading cause of head injury for infants, toddlers, and older adults.  Protect your children by padding countertops and edges of tables, block off stairways and install window guards. Use caution in swimming areas.  Read and follow posted safety rules at water parks and swimming pools.  Don’t dive into water less than nine feet deep.  If you are older, wear sensible shoes to prevent falls.

   Signs and Symptoms of a concussion can include: confusion, amnesia, headache, dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea or vomiting, slurred speech, and fatigue. Later symptoms can include:  memory or concentration problems, sensitivity to light and noise, sleep disturbances, irritability or depression.   Nonverbal clues of a concussion in children:  listlessness, tiring easily, irritability, crankiness, change in eating or sleeping patterns, lack of interest in favorite toys, loss of balance, unsteady walking.  See the doctor if there is a prolonged headache or dizziness, vision disturbances including pupils that are dilated or of unequal size, nausea or vomiting, seizures, loss of consciousness, blood or fluid discharge from the nose or ears.

   Treatment includes Rest.  Healing takes time. Use Tylenol rather than aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin or other non steroidal drugs because they can increase the risk of bleeding.

   The doctor will do a neurological exam checking your memory and concentration, vision, hearing, balance, coordination, and  reflexes.  The standard test to assess post concussion damage is a computerized  tomography  (CT)  scan.  You are more likely to need a scan if you are age 65 or older, if you fell from a height of more than 3 feet, were in a motor vehicle crash, are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, are unable to recall the accident, have trouble with short-term memory after regaining consciousness, or you vomited, had a seizure, fractured  your skull, or have bruises, scrapes or cuts on your head and neck. You may need to be hospitalized overnight for observation.  If you go home, someone should check on you for at least 24 hours. You need to be awakened every two hours to make sure you can be roused to normal consciousness.

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.”  Prov.  17:22

 Bonnie Kanady, RN