If You Do a Concussion Test Once Do You Need to Do It Again

Dr. Mark Allen PhD

How Do You Know If You lot Have a Concussion?

Concussions | Encephalon Injury Awareness | Traumatic Brain Injury | Brain Rubber & Care

If you lot've been reading about concussion diagnosis and symptoms and feel confused, that's pretty normal. About advice virtually concussions feels vague. Information technology'due south hard to know what applies to you. And if you're similar most patients, yous may exist second-guessing yourself and unsure of whether to come across a doctor after your injury.

In this mail service, we'll endeavour to get in easier for you to know if y'all take a concussion and what options y'all take. Forth the style, nosotros'll deflate some common myths almost concussions and how y'all tin tell if you take one.

Hither's a sneak peek at what we'll comprehend:

  • five Common Questions Nigh Concussions (and the Myths That Perpetuate Them)
  • How Doctors Diagnose Concussions
  • What the Symptoms of a Concussion Are
  • Which Tests Tin Detect a Concussion
  • What to Do If You Think You Have a Concussion
  • What to Do If Your Concussion Symptoms Don't Go Away

Nosotros'll explain what a concussion is in more depth later in this post, just for now, nosotros'll employ this equally a working definition:

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury sustained afterwards a accident to the head, whiplash, or jostling of the encephalon. That affect to the brain causes inflammation and may impairment some brain cells. That injury and subsequent inflammation leads to concussion symptoms.

Note: If you're experiencing symptoms that won't resolve later on 1 or more concussions, you're not solitary and you lot're not crazy. On boilerplate, our patients meliorate by 75% afterward treatment at our heart specializing in mail-concussion therapy. To come across if you are eligible for handling, sign up for a free consultation.

Can I Nonetheless Have a Concussion If ... ?

How do you know if you have a concussion? In this post, we'll discuss what causes a concussion, what to look for, and common misconceptions that might be confusing you.

In this first department, we'll accost some mutual questions that all accept the form of, "Can I still have a concussion if ... ?" Some of them are tied to old myths virtually concussions, and some stem from misunderstandings that fifty-fifty many wellness care providers perpetuate today.

... If I Didn't Blackness Out?

Aye! Someone may have told you that it'southward non a concussion without loss of consciousness. But the reality is that your symptoms do non dictate whether or not you had a concussion. Yous don't accept to have memory loss, fainting, or whatever other major consequence for it to be considered a concussion.

Only most x% of concussion patients black out during their injury. The other 90% stay conscious the whole time!

... If I Didn't Hit My Head?

Yes, definitely. While many concussions are acquired by a blow to the head, you tin too get a concussion from whiplash or jostling. In those cases, the brain slams against your skull, temporarily damaging the cells and causing an inflammation response. It's just as capable of causing symptoms as a concrete hit to the head.

For example, nosotros've treated people who experienced whiplash during a car blow. They didn't striking their heads, but the harm to their brains was very real. Or, say you're a figure skater, and your falls issue in constant jostling of your encephalon. That could also event in a brain injury, even if you lot didn't hit your head on the ice.

... If I Feel Fine the Side by side Day?

Mild or no symptoms does not mean you don't have a concussion. Some people don't notice their symptoms immediately. And the symptoms may not be extreme — it's possible that you'll only experience a balmy headache and moderate fatigue for a few days before getting back to normal, for example.

Say yous bump your head and feel totally fine afterward, and the people you're with don't notice any odd behavior. It'southward probably not a concussion, simply still has a run a risk of being one (especially if you've had encephalon injuries before). Sometimes, when the encephalon is injured, you may non feel symptoms immediately. Every brain reacts differently, so it's of import to keep an eye on how y'all feel for several days after a blow to the head.

Also, proceed in mind there'south no such thing as a "minor" concussion. Every concussion is, in technical terms, a mild traumatic encephalon injury. What makes it a "bad" concussion or non mainly depends on how much your brain is affected and how bad your symptoms are.

... If My Eyes Didn't Show Any Change?

Yes. Well-nigh of the time, your eyes volition non be a reliable source of diagnosis. That said, some baseline tests include eye-movement tracking that is capable of detecting a concussion. Unfortunately, baseline tests are not helpful unless you lot've taken them before your concussion. More than on that in a bit.

So can your eyes ever betoken encephalon damage? They might. If both pupils are dilated, that could only exist your body's normal response to a stressful situation. If one pupil is dilated more than the other, that could indicate more serious brain trauma. It'south worth seeing a doctor immediately to rule out a traumatic brain injury.

... If the MRI or CT Scan Didn't Prove Anything?

Yes! Most regular MRI and CT scans volition not show concussion harm. They're simply not designed to detect concussion damage.

Recall of it this fashion: Imagine y'all're looking into the window of a company. The lights are on, the building is intact, and the workers are present. Externally, it seems like the company is running well. But for the purposes of our example, nosotros'll say that the workers don't get along, the visitor'southward finances have been mismanaged, and the CEO just resigned amidst a scandal. It's actually not doing well at all.

The view you become of the company past looking at appearances (i.e., is the building there, are there people in it, etc.) is like looking at your brain with a regular MRI: Information technology can verify that your brain structures are present and undamaged. But a regular MRI can't tell you how well that brain is using its resource and whether your neurons are communicating the way they need to (i.e., are the employees collaborating, is the CEO leading them well, etc.). For that, you lot'd need an fNCI — a test we'll talk near more in a following department.

What Are the Signs of a Concussion?

Man sitting next to his car and his bike, grabbing his head.

So what should you expect for if you remember yous have a concussion? If yous ...

  1. Experienced a hit to the caput, whiplash, or jostling, and
  2. Experience i or more than concussion symptoms

... and then it's likely (but not guaranteed) you have a concussion. Let's hash out which symptoms you can become from a concussion, along with how doctors can evaluate patients when a concussion is suspected.

How You Hit Your Head: Does Information technology Matter?

Maybe you were driving without a seatbelt when you got into a car crash. Maybe it's a sports injury. Maybe you tripped and slammed your head on the counter. Or maybe y'all got knocked around at the roller coaster park. From the most frightening to the most inglorious methods of getting a concussion, the answer is the same:

Y'all cannot accept a concussion unless yous hit your head, experienced whiplash, or jostled your encephalon enough for it to crash against your skull.

If yous did experience i of those three causes of caput injuries, then your chances of having a concussion are high. That said, some situations are more probable to effect in serious encephalon injury than others.

Crash into a tree snowboarding?

Hit your head in a motor vehicle blow?

Fall off a balcony?

Those situations — and others like them — are more than likely to result in a astringent traumatic brain injury than, say, getting tackled during football game. But having a less terrifying striking to the caput doesn't mean you should allow your guard downwardly. If you experience whatsoever symptoms of a severe traumatic brain injury (listed here), seek medical attending immediately.

Common Symptoms of Concussion

Nosotros've written an all-encompassing guide to concussion symptoms, then we won't rehash everything here. Here's the short version:

Signs & Symptoms of a Concussion Checklist

As you can encounter from the chart, there are many unlike kinds of symptoms of a concussion (which makes sense when you consider that your brain controls everything you do!). Y'all might experience rest issues, overwhelm, and memory problems, while someone else might have headaches, blurry vision, and personality changes. And in immature children, symptoms don't await the aforementioned either (run into items starred with an asterisk in the chart) because they can't express what they feel every bit well as nosotros can.

Doctors consider the symptoms you're experiencing in calorie-free of your medical history. If y'all had it prior to head trauma — for example, depression — simply it got worse after a head injury, then you should mention it as well.

Concussion Tests

In that location is no gold standard when it comes to concussion testing. Many doctors, for lack of meliorate options, will order an MRI or a CT scan. Unfortunately, neither of these tests can reliably notice a concussion, although they tin rule out more than serious causes of your symptoms. For example, if you have a tumor, brain bleed, or aneurysm, the scans should find that.

If it's been several months after your injury and you're still experiencing symptoms, then we recommend a test we employ at Cerebral FX: functional neurocognitive imaging (fNCI). It'due south a special kind of functional MRI that looks at how your brain uses its resources in response to stimuli.

This is as opposed to a regular MRI, which only looks at brain structure. It wouldn't thing what you were thinking of when yous got the standard MRI, the results would be the same. Simply for a functional MRI, the scan volition change dramatically based on which regions of your encephalon are currently active. This stardom is critical.

During the fNCI we administrate, patients consummate a set of six cerebral tasks. We use the scans to see which brain regions are involved in those tasks. Mail-concussion patients showroom clear patterns of hyperactivity or hypoactivity in the brain regions afflicted past their injury. When patients see established criteria, we can say with a cracking caste of certainty that they endure from post-concussion syndrome.

To learn more than well-nigh other tests used during post-concussion diagnosis, please see our article on tests for post-concussion syndrome.

Baseline Testing

If you play contact sports (or are in other situations that increment your likelihood of sustaining a concussion), yous could complete a baseline exam. A baseline test establishes what your normal functioning level is. Information technology usually involves some basic cognitive and reaction fourth dimension tests and may also involve some balance testing.

If yous get a concussion afterwards taking a baseline examination, you lot can retake the exam immediately after injury. If your scores go downwardly significantly, and so it'southward probable from your concussion.

That said, the test isn't perfect — if information technology isn't administered in exactly the same way, for example, you might not get authentic results. Some of the best baseline tests include an eye-tracking assessment. It'southward worth seeing if a clinic in your area offers baseline testing with that included.

But again, baseline testing is just helpful if you do information technology before your concussion. Later on your concussion, it's too late to be useful.

If I Take a Concussion, What Should I Exercise?

A young woman is smiling while riding a stationary bike.

If you lot remember you lot take a concussion, information technology's important not to return to normal life activities right away. The best recovery regimens involve a residuum of exercise, low-cal activity, and rest. Yous tin slowly scale up to your previous schedule based on symptoms.

You may also desire to see a doctor, both for diagnosis and for help navigating recovery. In this section, we'll go over some pointers for recovery, along with when to come across a dr..

Active Recovery

If you sustained a concussion playing sports, do non render to play until you have fully recovered from your concussion. People who have sustained one concussion are more susceptible to getting another, especially when they haven't withal recovered from the first. Although rare, y'all would also risk 2d touch on syndrome, a fatal condition caused in a small percentage of people who sustain a 2nd concussion while not yet recovered from the first.

Aside from that, the worst matter you tin do is something called "cocooning." Cocooning involves resting all day in a dark room while fugitive all activeness (including screens). Many well-meaning doctors still give this medical communication because it's what they were taught in schoolhouse. But research over the by decade has shown that cocooning can actually increase your likelihood of long-lasting symptoms.

Hither'south what you can practice instead:

  1. Light concrete activeness for xxx minutes per day (at whatever level y'all can tolerate without skyrocketing symptoms)
  2. Cerebral action similar puzzles, reading, etc.
  3. Restful, calming activities (such as listening to binaural beats, medication, etc.)
  4. Normal activities for yous, but at a lower intensity than usual and equally tolerated
  5. Gradual return to work or school.

Do your best to get plenty of sleep (but if yous take a hard time sleeping, yous're not alone — information technology's a common symptom. This post might assist.)

We describe the astute concussion recovery process in depth in this post on how to treat a concussion. If you'd like extra guidance on how to work out safely, yous tin read our guide to mail-concussion exercise.

Visit a Doctor

Seeing a doctor is not always necessary if y'all've had a concussion. That said, information technology depends on your tolerance for take chances: If you want to exist absolutely certain that y'all oasis't sustained a worse injury than a concussion, see a doctor. If y'all have unevenly enlarged pupils, or whatever other symptoms of a severe traumatic brain injury, you should seek medical attending immediately.

Here are some of the severe TBI symptoms listed by the NIH:

  • Convulsions or seizures
  • Headache that gets worse or won't go abroad
  • Inability to wake upward from sleep
  • Increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation
  • Loss of consciousness lasting a few minutes to hours
  • Loss of coordination
  • Numbness or tingling of arms or legs
  • Repeated vomiting or nausea
  • Slurred spoken communication

Otherwise, going to the doctor really depends on what y'all demand. If your symptoms are mild and you have someone at habitation to watch over you, then seeing a healthcare professional may exist unnecessary.

What If My Symptoms Don't Go Away?

A young woman is sitting on her couch and grabbing her head.

If it's been a few weeks since your injury and you lot're notwithstanding experiencing symptoms, it may be time to consider a concussion treatment dispensary. We've written a full post on how to find a good dispensary that you tin can use in your search.

Mail service-concussion syndrome is when you accept long-lasting symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury. Nigh of the fourth dimension, these symptoms will not get away without treatment. The condition tin be permanent, but after treatment at our dispensary, 95% of our patients experience statistically verified restoration of brain office.

To learn more than most how we tin assistance you, sign upwardly for a free consultation with our medical staff.

About Dr. Mark Allen PhD

Mark D. Allen earned a PhD in Cognitive Science at Johns Hopkins University with post-doctoral training in Cognitive Neuroscience and Functional Neuroimaging at the University of Washington. He has 15 years of research and clinical feel in fMRI, with 22 publications in tier-i peer-reviewed scientific journals, three book chapters, and dozens of presentations at scientific and professional conferences in neuroscience, neuroimaging, and neuropsychology. Having nerveless and analyzed fMRI data from over one,000 experimental subjects and over 300 clinically-referred patients, Dr. Allen is a pioneer and expert in the evolution of fMRI for use in clinical settings.

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Source: https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/how-do-you-know-if-you-have-a-concussion

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