Concussions Have Lasting, Cumulative Effect on the Brain, Experts Say

The impacts that concussions have on the brain may be far more dramatic than what medical professionals and the public once believed, according to some of the latest research.

In fact, while researchers have discovered that any concussion that someone sustains can have a permanent impact on their brain, they have also found that:

• Multiple concussions can have an aggregate effect on people, with each subsequent injury potentially compounding the injuries left by the previous concussion(s).
• Over time, multiple concussions can damage brain cells and alter the brain’s chemical balance, possibly resulting in mood changes, difficulties concentrating and/or other cognitive impairments.

As Dr. William Meehan, director of the Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention in Massachusetts, has explained:

Every time you get

[a concussion], there’s some effect on the brain that doesn’t go away… Concussions have a cumulative effect.

Concussions 101: What They Are & How They Are Diagnosed

Concussions are a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that result from some outside force or trauma impacting the head/body, causing the brain to move around inside of the skull, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

Given that concussions are “functional” injuries (rather than a structural injury), they can’t be diagnosed via traditional imaging tests, such as CT scans. Instead, concussions are typically diagnosed by physically examining patients and discussing their symptoms, with some of the most notable signs of concussions being:

• Different size pupils
• Persisting headaches
• Extreme fatigue and/or difficulty waking from sleep
• Speaking, memory and/or coordination problems
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Disorientation
• Seizures
• Personality changes, such as heightened aggression or a lack of emotions
• Loss of consciousness.

More Important Facts about Concussions

In light of the latest findings about the impacts of concussions, here are some related facts about these mild TBIs that everyone should be aware of:

• While people can sustain concussions as a result of various accidents (including motor vehicle accidents), children also face a significant risk of concussions when playing contact sports, like football, rugby, wrestling and ice hockey.
• When anyone may have sustained a mild concussion, watching them closely to see if their symptoms are getting progressively worse will be important.
• It can be possible to fully recover from the effects of a concussion as long as people take care of themselves appropriately, the damage is not too extensive and they do not sustain additional concussions in the future.
• There is currently no existing helmet technology to prevent concussions from happening.

What do you think about these findings about concussions? Share your opinions with us on Facebook & Google+.

Contact the Denver Personal Injury Lawyer at the Klibaner Law Firm

If you or a loved one have sustained a brain injury – or any serious injury – due to negligence, a Denver personal injury lawyer at the Klibaner Law Firm is here for you, ready to aggressively advocate your rights to help you obtain the compensation you may deserve.

To learn more about your options and how we can help you, contact our firm today by calling us at (303) 863-1445 or emailing us using the contact form on this page. From our offices based in Denver, our attorneys provide superior representation to injured people throughout the Denver metro area and Colorado.