A lot of attention has been paid in recent years to concussions experienced by athletes playing sports like football or soccer. While injuries from these activities do comprise many concussions that happen, the Mayo Clinic indicates that it is falls that are responsible for the majority of concussions experienced by people. Concussions also comprise the number one type of brain injury.
Grades of concussions
Even after a fall that results in a head injury, a person may not immediately display symptoms of a concussion. This may be in part due to the fact that there are multiple grades of concussions.
WebMD explains that only a grade 3 concussion results in a person losing consciousness. This is the most severe grade of a concussion. In a grade 2 concussion, a person does not lose consciousness but experiences other symptoms that last for at least 15 minutes. A grade 1 concussion is the mildest, with symptoms waning within 15 minutes.
Symptoms of concussions
Some signs that a person may have a concussion, apart from losing consciousness, include problems with balance, speech and vision. A person may also feel sick to their stomach and even throw up. A concussion may even cause a person to have some loss of memory, have problems sleeping or hear a ringing sound in their ears. The problems associated with a concussion come from the damage experienced by the nerves or blood vessels around the brain in the head cavity. Prompt medical attention for anyone who hits their head after falling, even when wearing protective head gear, is important and may facilitate better recovery.
