CONCUSSION

Concussion is a form of mild traumatic injury that may happen after a hard knock or blow to the head. This may result to bruises or even bleeding inside the brain.

Your head is a very important part of your body because that is where the brain is. The brain controls all the rest of your body so we need to look after it as much as possible. The brain is made of soft tissue and the skull is hard and bony. Between the brain and the skull there is a ‘cushion’ of fluid which helps protect the brain.

Concussion can last for a moment or two, or a person could be knocked out for much longer. If someone is knocked out for a long time they are said to be in a coma.

SYMPTOMS

This depends on how much the brain was jolted against the skull. 

A person could experienced:

• A bit dazed and foggy but be awake and able to move
• Unconscious for a few seconds, or minutes or longer
• Feeling sick or even throwing up
• Having headaches for a while afterwards
• Feeling faint if he or she tries to carry straight on after a blow to the head
• Unable to remember things like what happened just before or after the injury or even, but not often, a person can’t remember names and places. This is called amnesia

What you should do if someone has banged their head hard?

• Tell it to the adult. (Mother, Father, Teacher etc.)
• If the person is conscious (awake) and able to move by themselves, help them move to a safe place.
• Don’t move the person if they are not conscious as they might have other injuries as well and this might make the injury worse.
• Call your doctor to checked out for concussions.