Concussion Flashcards
concussion stats
most common brain injury - 200,000 per year
2 reasons brain injury is important
- cause of half of all trauma deaths
2. most common cause of perm disability
def. of concussion
immediate and temp alteration of mental functioning due to trauma
what is mech of concussion
unknown, but rotational acceleration more important than linear accel - axonal injury may occur
what is concussion NOT due to
bleeding, tearing or bruising of brain
6 common causes of concussion
- MVA
- falls
- work
- sports
- military
- spouse abuse
what is conseq. of multiple concussion
brain degen
what are early Sx of concussion
One of:
- amnesia
- loss of consc.
- headache
- dizziness
- nausea
- poor concentration
- loss of vision
- vomiting
later Sx of concussion
- memory loss
- fatigue
- blurred vision
- vertigo
- light sensitivity
3 Late late Sx
- depression
- dementia
- suicide
how common is loss of conscious
5-10% only - just for a few minutes
can you diagnose with CT or MRI?
NO - almost always looks fine
what are diagnosis probs.
clinical diagnosis - bad docs and lying patients
6 steps to return to play
- rest
- light aerobic
- sport specific
- drills without contact
- drills with contact
- play
what happens if Sx return
go back to step 1 and have evaluated
what are permanent termination modifiers (4)
- continuing Sx or signs
- multiple conc. over a short period
- long duration to recover
- lesions seen on MRI/CT
what is issue with return to learn or work
more complex and needs to be individualized with a physician
when to use baseline testing
just use SCAT-3 as it’s cheap
when is detailed neuropsych testing useful
cog. deficits and emotional changes
what is second impact syndrome
from a second concussion when first one is still healing
what is problem with SIS
cerebrovasclar congestion and edema and can be fatal
what is chronic traumatic encephalopathy
many little concussions over time - leads to intellectual decline and balance problems
what is mech of CTE
deposition of tau proteins in the neuronal cell bodies
what is only biomarker for CTE
tau on autopsy
