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Common Concussion Myths...

Which of the following statements are true and which are false. Tap on the button under each to learn more.

Loss of consciousness (LOC) is necessary for a concussion to be diagnosed.

False! In 2020, 6.8% of children had experienced symptoms of a concussion or brain injury in their lifetime. The percentage of children who had ever had symptoms of a concussion/brain injury increased with age, from 2.0% in children aged <5 years to 12.2% in children aged 12–17.1 Most concussions do not involve a loss of consciousness. While many students receive a concussion from sports-related activities, numerous other concussions occur from non-sports related activities – i.e., from motor vehicle and from bicycle and playground accidents.

A group of 3 child soccer players

A concussion is a “traumatic brain injury.”

True! A concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The symptoms of a concussion can range from mild to severe and may include: confusion, disorientation, memory loss, slowed reaction times, emotional reactions, headaches and dizziness. You can't predict how severe a concussion will be or how long the symptoms will last at the time of the injury.

A parent should awaken a child who falls asleep after a head injury.

False! Current medical advice is that it is not dangerous to allow a child to sleep after a hit to the head IF the child has been medically evaluated and more serious complications have been ruled out. Once a medical evaluation results in the diagnosis of concussion and not something more serious, then the best treatment is to allow the child to sleep.

A concussion is usually diagnosed by neuroimaging tests (i.e. CT scan or MRI).

False! Concussions cannot be detected by neuroimaging tests: a concussion is a "functional" not "structural" injury. Concussions are typically diagnosed by careful examination of the signs and symptoms after the injury. Symptoms during a concussion are thought to be due to an ENERGY CRISIS in the brain cells. At the time of the concussion, the brain tries to protect itself by decreasing blood flow to injured areas. Because of the injury there is not enough "fuel" (sugar/glucose) delivery to keep brain cells (neurons) working normally – for playing and for thinking. Over time, this blood flow returns to normal as symptoms improve. While a CT scan or an MRI may be used after trauma to the head to look for bleeding or bruising in the brain, it will be read as "normal" with a concussion. A negative scan does not mean that a concussion did not occur.