A concussion occurs when the head sustains a hard blow and
the impact jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. The rapid movement
interrupts the brain's normal activities. Although there may be cuts or bruises
on the head or face, there may be no other signs of a brain injury.
After a mild concussion, it is not uncommon to have a mild headache or a
general feeling of not being "quite right." These symptoms usually go away on
their own over a few days. Many people have some symptoms for up to 3 months
after a head injury, and a small number of people have symptoms for as long as
a year afterward.
Sometimes, after a concussion you may feel as if
you are not functioning as well as you did before the injury (postconcussive
syndrome). New symptoms may develop, or you may continue to be bothered by
symptoms from the injury, such as:
- Changes in your ability to think, remember, or
solve problems.
- Changes in your ability to
concentrate.
- Headaches.
- Changes in your sleep patterns,
such as the inability to sleep (insomnia) or sleeping all the
time.
- Changes in your personality.
- Lack of interest in
your daily activities.
- Becoming easily angered or anxious for no
apparent reason; feeling like fighting.
- Changes in your sex
drive.
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or unsteadiness that makes it
hard to stand or walk (ataxia).
- Symptoms that
develop when you do physical activities.
Some of these changes may be related to stress from the
events surrounding the accident that caused the injury. It may take several
weeks to many months for these symptoms to go away on their own. But these
symptoms may also be signs of a more serious injury or of slow bleeding between
the brain and the covering of the brain (subdural hematoma).
