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A concussion is a reversible disturbance of its work, which may occur as a result of an injury. In medicine, it is believed that in this condition, the connection between the nerve cells of the brain is disrupted. The main reasons are sports, industrial and domestic injuries, road accidents. It is the concussion that prevails among all types of traumatic brain injuries.
What happens to the brain on impact
In a collaborative effort, scientists from the US and Sweden modeled the brain to show how it fluctuates when hit hard. According to the results of the study, it became clear that the organ receives its damage not when it hits the skull, but due to compression and stretching of the tissues that occur during vibrations of different frequencies.
Contrary to popular belief, the danger to the brain is not the hard skull, but the tissues themselves. For example, in boxing, during a blow to the head, the brain is injured much more than when the body stops abruptly. In addition, during a concussion, the brain is damaged more from the inside, while the outer layer is not affected so much.
Scientists have conducted some studies in which collisions of American football players were observed. There were 189 cases in total. The players had sensors embedded in their helmets, with the help of which scientists were able to obtain data on the acceleration and change in the position of the head at the moment of impact on it.
It was found that after impacts, strong oscillations of the brain occur, the duration of which is a fraction of a second. Experts were able to decompose these oscillations into frequencies, after which they found out that the strongest occur at a frequency of about 30 hertz. This can be compared to the strings of the second and third piano keys. Considering the situation in general, we can say that vibrations that occur with a frequency of less than 33 Hertz take 75% of the impact energy.
In addition, it was found that strong impacts provoke strong vibrations. For example, after a strong collision, when a team player fell and lost consciousness, the corpus callosum, located between the hemispheres of the brain, changed at a higher frequency than the tissues surrounding it. And this led to severe deformation.
According to scientists, such modeling can be useful in the design of helmets that can suppress low-frequency vibrations that are dangerous to the brain.
Signs of a concussion
Do not forget that a concussion is manifested by a violation of its work. When hit, a person often loses consciousness.
After the person regains consciousness, he will experience the following symptoms:
- frequent breathing
- gagging and vomiting;
- fast or slow heart rate;
- memory impairment.
But, after some time, these factors disappear. Blood pressure levels also stabilize, but in some patients they may increase, and this depends not only on the injury, but also on the experience of severe stress. It should be noted that body temperature does not increase during concussion.
The main signs of a concussion are:
- headache;
- nausea;
- dizziness;
- general weakness;
- flushing of the face;
- noise in ears;
- increased sweating;
- insomnia.
With a concussion, a person’s health improves in about a week. In rare cases, this happens after two weeks. Headache and other possible symptoms can appear for a long time.
How to Diagnose a Concussion
It is important to clarify under what circumstances the event occurred, to establish what condition the patient is in. For example, this is a negative psychological impact or alcohol poisoning.
Immediately after the injury, you can notice nystagmus, twitching of the eyelids, impaired balance and coordination of movement. Other symptoms will appear much later. The patient must be hospitalized because the symptoms of a concussion may hide other more serious brain damage. The neurosurgical department will conduct an examination and monitor the further condition of the patient.
So, if you get a brain injury, you should immediately contact the first-aid post. There, the patient will be examined by a traumatologist and a neurologist. Specialists will take an x-ray of the skull to make sure there are no broken bones. If necessary, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography of the brain will be performed. The ophthalmologist must give his opinion. The results of the examinations will help determine the severity of the injury. Then the patient is determined to the hospital for further treatment or a therapy regimen is prescribed and sent home.
How concussion manifests itself in children and the elderly
The symptoms of a concussion differ depending on the age of the patient.
In infants and young children, when receiving a concussion, consciousness is practically not disturbed. At the time of injury, you can notice the pallor of the skin, frequent heartbeat, lethargy, drowsiness. When feeding, regurgitation occurs, vomiting appears, the child becomes restless, drowsy, or, on the contrary, does not sleep well. After about three to four days, all signs disappear.
Preschoolers are less likely to lose consciousness, while they are on the mend in two to three days.
Elderly people and old people also may not lose consciousness, as well as children. They have disorientation in space and time. The headache becomes throbbing and occurs most often in the back of the head. Pain can last for a week, and they get worse if a person suffers from high blood pressure and dizziness.
Treatment for a concussion
The first aid that should be given to the victim is as follows: a conscious person should be placed horizontally on his back and raise his head a little.
If the patient did not regain consciousness, then he should be turned on his right side so that his face was turned to the ground. At the same time, bend the left arm and leg at an angle of 90 °. Before this, it is necessary to make sure that the person did not receive bone fractures during the fall. If they are present, then you cannot turn it over, but you need to urgently call an ambulance.
If everything is fine and there are no fractures, then this position of the body helps oxygen to easily pass into the lungs, and excess fluid will flow out of the mouth (the tongue will not fall, and blood, saliva or vomit will not enter the respiratory tract).
If the patient has a broken head, it is necessary to apply a bandage.
As mentioned earlier, upon the arrival of an ambulance, a person is hospitalized. Already in the clinic, he is diagnosed and the necessary therapy is carried out.
The patient is prescribed bed rest for three days. Later, taking into account the characteristics of the injury, it can be extended up to five days. If after this time there are no complications, then the patient is discharged to continue outpatient treatment, the duration of which will be two weeks.
What drugs are prescribed
Most often, magnesia is prescribed from medications, rest and sleep occupy a large place in the treatment. Medicines are needed to relieve headaches, dizziness, anxiety, insomnia and other symptoms.
Therefore, the patient is recommended to take painkillers, sedatives and sleeping pills (preferably in tablet form).
As an anesthetic, appoint: Analgin, Sedalgin, Pentalgin. Sedatives are: Valerian, Corvalol, Valocordin, Motherwort. Of the tranquilizers most often used: Sibazon, Afobazol. Donormil and Relaxon will help get rid of insomnia.
In order to quickly and completely restore the functioning of the brain, it is necessary to undergo a full course of metabolic and vascular therapy. In this case, it is best to combine vascular drugs with nootropics (Cavinton, Glycine, Noopept).
In order to prevent the development of possible complications in time, one should undergo dispensary observation with a neurologist at the place of residence for one year.
Predictions for this disease
If you follow all the doctor’s recommendations, adhere to the prescribed regimen and avoid circumstances that aggravate the injury, then the completion of the recovery of the victim’s health will be quick and complete. Functionality will be fully restored.
However, some patients, after an acute period of concussion, may experience impaired concentration, depression, irritability for any reason, anxiety, dizziness, insomnia, fatigue, increased sensitivity to light and sound. After 6-12 months after the concussion, all these symptoms will disappear or significantly reduce their manifestation.