Concussions are a mild form of traumatic brain injury. 'Mild’ means that most patients make a complete recovery within a week or so. But some of the symptoms experienced in the immediate aftermath of a bang on the head can be disturbing. In addition to headaches, blurry vision, and nausea, some people experience brain fog and memory loss.
What Happens to the Brain During a Concussion?
When you get a blow to the head, on the soccer field or in a tumble from a bicycle, say, your brain can bang around inside your skull. When this happens, neurons can twist, stretch, and sometimes even break. That’s called diffuse axonal injury, explains Sean D. Hollis, a specialist in brain injury at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Sounds scary, doesn't it? In more severe traumatic brain injury, diffuse axonal injury can be very dangerous indeed, but in the case of concussion, it’s usually nothing to worry about. The neurons sort themselves out pretty quickly.
