If you suffer from a concussion in San Diego, then you should definitely see a specialist. Concussions are serious conditions and even the mildest of concussions should be considered serious.
A concussion is a brain injury that occurs when you receive a hard blow to the head that is severe enough to knock the brain against the skull. When that happens, your brain cells get damaged and your nerves cannot communicate effectively. That is why you will often see a concussed person unable to perform functions they were able to do a few minutes prior.
All concussions hurt the brain and need time to heal. However almost a fifth of concussion patients has long term effects from their concussions.
The long-term consequences of concussions include:
Memory Problems
One of the most common long-term consequences of concussions is memory problems. The extent of the memory issues will vary from person to person based on the severity of the concussion.
You will see such people start to forget small things such as their keys, their wallet or purse but if left untreated, or worse, more concussions incurred, the problems start to get worse.
They will start forgetting names and things about themselves and may soon experience signs of Dementia. That is why concussions need enough time to heal so that brain cells can be restored and the neural connections responsible for memory can be repaired.
Noise and Light Sensitivity
Another long-term consequence of single or multiple concussions is increased sensitivity to noise and light. Noise and light sensitivity are also conditions that usually start small and grow worse over time.
Light sensitivity will involve all types of light from sunlight to artificial light from bulbs in the home. You will often see such patients wear sunglasses even when they are inside.
Noise sensitivity is similar to light sensitivity in that concussion patients are affected by the slightest noises and where significant noises such as loud music become unbearable.
Noise and light sensitivity can make life very difficult as it impedes the patient from doing normal day to day activities and may get to the point where they do not leave the house.
Depression and Other Mental Health Issues
The human brain is a very delicate organ and is very intricately put together. A slight imbalance in the chemicals in the brain can have very solemn consequences including mental health disorders.
When the brain is hit hard enough to cause a concussion, then there are bound to be elements that are displaced from where they should be. When that happens, patients start to feel depressed or anxious for no apparent reason.
Mental health disorders can be treated using therapy and other treatments but in the case of a concussion, proper healing time is the best solution.
Sleep Disorders
You will often find that people who have suffered a concussion will have problems sleeping even after a long tiring day. There are hormones and chemicals that regulate our sleep cycles and when they are thrown out of balance by a concussion, the quality of sleep is also negatively affected.
Sleep disorders may include insomnia or irregular sleeping patterns. Sleep is crucial to overall health so sleep disorders have consequences far beyond them.