A concussion is when the brain is bruised because of an impact or jolt. The brain hits the skull, and if the brain hits hard enough a concussion will occur.
A minor concussion will get better in around 7 to 10 days. A bad concussion is when the person passes out for longer than a minute, has a seizure, or has had a previous concussion at any point in their life. A bad concussion will take longer than 7 to 10 days for symptoms to go away.
You should call the doctor and tell them the symptoms you have, or you should make an appointment and see the doctor that day.
Put Ice on the head. Wrap the ice in a washcloth then place against your head. The ice will reduce the swelling and pain. Apply the ice for 20 minutes at a time every few hours for a day.
You should rest for a while. Do not do any exercise or play any sports. You should wait until all of your symptoms go away before you do physical activities again to let your brain heal. If you do not rest and let your symptoms go away, then your brain is going to take longer to heal. You should see your doctor after the symptoms have disappeared to get the o.k. to start being active and exercising like normal. Slowly start exercising after your symptoms are gone, do not just jump right back into it. If you feel strange or any of the symptoms you had come back, stop.
Have someone wake you up atleast once or twice during the night. If you are hard to wake up and/or wake up with confusion, you should contact your doctor again because this means you could have a more severe head injury.
Try to avoid loud and bright areas. Avoid things that involve a lot of thinking. Acetaminophen will help with the headaches and make you feel a bit better.
If you are still feeling symptoms after a few weeks has passed. You may have something called post concussion syndrome, and your symptoms can last for a longer period of time or forever.
Blood clots are rare but possible and you may have a more severe injury. You should see your doctor right away if…
You have headaches that are getting worse
You have numbness or weakness
You are not waking up
One pupil is larger than the other
Have a seizure
Are getting more and more confused
Repetitive vomiting
Remember that everyone is different, and the healing time is going to vary. If you do everything you are supposed to you should have a successful and quick healing. Make sure to prevent your head from getting a jolt or another hard impact because a second injury while healing can be fatal. This could cause problems later in life with coordination and memory.
Use helmets, seatbelts, mouth guards, and proper padding when playing sports or activities when there is a risk of injury to prevent any type of brain injury. Stay safe and be careful, brain injuries are the worst kind of injury to get.
