It’s a brain injury. It happens when your brain cells get damaged from being bounced or twisted inside your skull. Weird, right? Even worse, it’s not like a bruise. You can’t see it, not even on a CAT scan or MRI.
recognize
Step 1 | Whoah. That’s weird.
A concussion can make your game, your grades, and your social life really bad. The following pages explain what you should look for if you think you or a teammate may have one.
Step 2 | What’s a concussion?
It can happen a few different ways:
Less Than 1 IN 10
People actually get knocked out from a concussion.
Step 3 | Signs and Symptoms of Concussion
If you or one of your teammates has any of these signs or symptoms, tell your coach, your athletic trainer or your parent NOW.
When you have a concussion, you may have:
- Headache or pressure in your head
- Double or fuzzy vision
- Problems with balance
- Dizziness
- Problems remembering things
- Difficulty concentrating
- A sluggish or foggy feeling
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Nausea
- Sleep problems
- Just don't feel right
Step 4 | Signs and Symptoms of Concussion
When your teammate has a concussion, they may:
- Look stunned or dazed
- Get confused about assignments
- Forget plays
- Be confused about the game, score, or who the other team is
- Act clumsy
- Be slow to answer questions
- Cry, snap, get angry for no reason, and not want to be around others
- Forget what happened before they got hit
- Forget what happened after they got hit
- Lose consciousness
Step 5 | Brains don’t heal faster just because you’re young.
It’s bad to get a concussion while your brain is still developing. If it’s not diagnosed and managed right you could:
- Take a lot longer to get better
- Have a brain injury that never heals
- Be out of sports for a very long time
- Or - though rare - if you get another concussion before you’ve healed, you could wind up dead
Up to 3.8 MIllion
number of concussions caused by sports & recreational injuries each year.
