Sports Medicine: Conditions

Concussions are caused by trauma to the head, and can result in alterations in mental status. About 10 percent of concussion victims suffer loss of consciousness.

Concussion symptoms range from a headache and blurred vision to nausea and personality changes. More than 300,000 sports-related concussions occur each year. Recent estimates claim that 10 percent of all high school kids who engage in contact sports will sustain a concussion each year. Almost two-thirds of those concussions occur in football.

You should call your doctor immediately if you have the following concussion symptoms or signs:

• Stiff neck
• Difficulty walking, speaking or using your arms
• Severe headache
• Repeated vomiting
• Confusion that gets worse
• Convulsions
• Unusual sleepiness

You could suffer a fatal event called "second impact syndrome." This occurs when a second blow to the head, even a minor one, makes your body lose control of blood flow to the brain. More commonly, returning to a sport too soon will put you at increased risk to suffer another or more concussions. Research has shown that multiple concussions have a cumulative effect and can cause permanent problems with memory, processing new information, and even your personality.

If you are involved in a contact sport or one in which you might suffer head trauma, wearing a helmet is imperative. Computerized Neuropsychological Testing can also play an important ole in the prevention of sports-related concussions.