Tackling Concussions

By: Kara Morrow

Adapted from Concussion: A Guide for Patients and Families by Dr. J. Maietta

Concussions often create temporary disabilities which may require temporary reasonable accommodations and they can happen to anyone. I wanted to provide some basic information to help bring awareness to what a concussion is, what people may be experiencing in terms of symptoms and what steps are necessary for their recovery.

Concussions typically happen from a blow to the head, which can occur as a result of sports injuries; motor vehicle accidents; falls; bicycle crashes; intimate partner violence; hitting the head against something hard (e.g., standing up into an open cabinet); assault and military service-related injuries. In the vast majority of cases, there are no long-lasting symptoms or structural damages from concussion as long as the recommendations from the medical provider are followed. This is because the brain is surrounded by fluid (i.e., cerebrospinal fluid) that protects it and acts as a shock absorber to keep the brain safe.

Our brain is approximately 2% of our body weight; however, it consumes around 20% of our body’s energy! When the brain sustains a concussion, its ability to effectively use this energy is reduced. Stress can cause similar symptoms but as the information below shows, the effects caused from a concussion cause those symptoms to be significantly worse.

Most people show some symptoms during the first week to the first month after sustaining a concussion. These symptoms are part of the normal recovery process and are not typically, signs of permanent damage or medical complications. The majority of people with concussions recover completely in 1 week to 3 months.

During the recovery time, a person who has suffered a concussion should be resting both cognitively and physically. For example, students on our campus are typically instructed to avoid all academic work and to refrain from using screens and/or devices to avoid increasing or prolonging symptoms. This rest is critical for brain recovery.

For a student for example, while on these temporary restrictions it may be necessary for faculty to provide temporary academic accommodations for the student. Typical accommodations may be excused absences until the student can return to class and extended time on all schoolwork and tests that have already been assigned or will be assigned. There may be other accommodations that could be necessary, so these examples are not exhaustive. Also, symptoms and the need for temporary accommodations can vary from person to person, so they are evaluated on a caseby-case basis. Finally, people are not generally released to resume normal activities until they have been cleared by an appropriate medical provider.

The good news is concussions are injuries from which people can make a complete recovery with the proper medical care, rest, and temporary accommodations. This is why it is so important for us to offer temporary accommodations and supports for people on our campus who are experiencing the effects of concussions.

what have you learned about concussions? let us know @okcudas!