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Mechanism of Injury

 

Concussions occur when the brain is "bruised" by an outside force. The brain comes into contact with the inner wall of the skull by one of these mechanisms:

  • Coup: A stationary skull is hit by a high velocity object, and the brain hits the inside of the skull. The injury to the brain is at the site of impact.

    • Ex: hit in the head with a baseball or a hockey puck

  • Contrecoup: The skull, moving at a high velocity, impacts something stationary and is forced to stop. The brain keeps moving, hitting the skull at a site opposite the impact.

    • Ex: smashing your head off of a wall

  • Shearing or Rotation: Neural activity is disrupted due to twisting or quick acceleration/deceleration of the head, resulting in concussion symptoms.

    • Ex: Car crash.

  • Repeated Subconcussive Forces: Several subconcussive hits over a period of time. 

    • Higher chance of neurological defects and degeneration over time

    • Ex: football linemen getting hit over and over

(Starkey 2010)

 

 

 

Signs and Symptoms

Each concussion is different and may or may  not exhibit all of these symptoms.

  • Acting somewhat confused, feeling unable to concentrate, or not thinking clearly

  • Being drowsy, hard to wake up, or similar changes

  • Headache

  • Loss of consciousness for a fairly short period of time

  • Memory loss (amnesia) of events before the injury or right after

  • Nausea and vomiting

  • Seeing flashing lights

  • Feeling like you have "lost time"

  • Changes in alertness and consciousness

  • Confusion that does not go away

  • Seizures

  • Muscle weakness on one or both sides

  • Pupils of the eyes that are not equal in size

  • Unusual eye movements

  • Repeated vomiting

  • Walking or balance problems

  • Unconsciousness for a longer period of time or that continues (coma)

("Concussion" 2014)

(Maanika 2013)

(http://www.braininjury.com/injured.shtml)

Retrieved Nov 17 2014

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