Concussion Management
How do I know if I have had a concussion?
After a blow to the head or body, you may experience loss of consciousness and/or some of the following symptoms:
- Headaches
- Feeling mentally foggy
- Trouble with mental tasks such as attending, concentrating, and remembering
- Slow thinking, difficulty reading
- Getting lost or easily confused
- Feeling tired
- Having low energy
- Feeling sad, irritable, anxious, or overly emotional
- Having difficulty sleeping or sleeping a lot more than usual
- Feeling light headed, dizzy or off balance
- Light sensitivity
- Noise sensitivity
- Vomiting or nausea
- Blurred or double vision
- Ringing in the ears
- In young children, the following may be noticed: vomiting, unsteady walking, loss of a previously attained skill (e.g., toileting, walking, or speech), listlessness, crankiness, loss of interest in usually enjoyed activities or things, change in sleep or eating, trouble functioning in school
A person will have some, but usually not all of these symptoms, following concussion. You can have a concussion without having actually hit your head.
It also is important to note that just because you have hit your head or had a blow to your body does not mean that you have sustained a concussion. In fact, even if you developed a headache, dizziness, or nausea, you may not have had a concussion versus trauma to your head and neck. Feeling foggy and some other symptoms of concussion also can reflect a normal emotional reaction to a traumatic event, rather than a concussion.