According to James Kelly, MA, MD, FAAN, a neurologist and expert on treating concussions, the frontal lobe is most commonly injured because it is near rigid and rough bone. Other areas of the brain that are not as close to the skull are less susceptible to injury.
A concussion occurs when your brain bounces or twists inside your skull or experiences rapid, whiplash-type back and forth movement that causes it to collide with the inside of your skull. This brain movement stretches and damages brain cells and leads to chemical changes in the brain.
With a head injury, it's common to have a headache and nausea. You may be dizzy or disoriented right afterward. You also may have problems focusing or remembering. Other symptoms include ringing in your ears, neck pain, emotional or vision problems.
For these reasons, it is important to monitor your condition, particularly in the 48 hours immediately following a head injury. Other symptoms to watch for during this period of monitoring include: Discharge of clear fluid or blood from the nose or ears. Signs of disorientation or memory loss.
In fact, the risk of developing the symptoms doesn't appear to be linked with the severity of the injury. In most people, symptoms appear within the first 7 to 10 days and go away within three months. But sometimes they can last for a year or more.
Emerman says patients who've suffered a head injury should visit the Emergency Department immediately if they: Lost consciousness or became confused/disoriented after they were injured. Suffered the injury at a high speed (car or bike accident, a steep fall, etc.) Are vomiting or feel nauseated.
Confusion. Unequal pupil size. Slurred speech. Loss of movement (paralysis) on the opposite side of the body from the head injury.
In general, symptoms of brain bleeds can include: Sudden tingling, weakness, numbness, or paralysis of the face, arm or leg, particularly on one side of the body. Headache. (Sudden, severe “thunderclap” headache occurs with subarachnoid hemorrhage.)
If you have a subdural hematoma, blood is leaking out of a torn vessel into a space below the dura mater, a membrane between the brain and the skull. Symptoms include ongoing headache, confusion and drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, slurred speech and changes in vision.
Loss of consciousness. Severe headache that does not go away. Repeated nausea and vomiting. Loss of short-term memory, such as difficulty remembering the events that led right up to and through the traumatic event.
The Impact of “Minor” Hits
While it's more obvious that experiencing a serious concussion while participating in sports can cause long-term brain damage, a new study in the online journal, PLOS, found that little hits along the way can cause problems, too.
Many hemorrhages do not need treatment and go away on their own. If a patient is exhibiting symptoms or has just had a brain injury, a medical professional may order a computerized tomography (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to check for brain hemorrhages.
In very slow-growing subdural hematomas, there may be no noticeable symptoms for more than 2 weeks after the bleeding starts.
Blood from the burst vessel exerts pressure on the brain, cutting off oxygen to cells and, ultimately, killing them. Blood also irritates brain tissues, creating a bruise or bump called a hematoma, which can also place pressure on brain tissue. Occasionally, you won't feel any initial symptoms.
There may be no warning signs of a bleed on the brain. For example, it could happen after someone falls and hits their head. If there is a weakness in the blood vessel wall, it can bulge or swell, which is known as an aneurysm. Aneurysms can rupture suddenly without warning, and cause a bleed on the brain.
Characteristics: Following a concussion, you can develop a headache that resembles a migraine headache. Pain tends to be in the front of the head area of your forehead or temple. It is commonly described as a 'pounding' or 'throbbing' pain. It is sometimes associated with nausea and sensitivity to light and noise.
Your doctor may order imaging tests — such as MRI or CT scans — to make sure there's no bruising or bleeding in your brain. To confirm a concussion diagnosis, your doctor will use the data from your: Exam and interview. ImPACT or other cognitive tests.
Concussion left untreated can lead to long-term complications. Potential complications of a concussion include chronic headaches, memory problems, vertigo, and post-concussion syndrome, which is headaches, dizziness, mood swings, and brain fog that can continue for months or years after a concussion.