20 Signs and Symptoms of Concussion
A concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury resulting from a sudden bump, blow, or jolt to the head. Even what seems like a mild hit to the head can be serious.
Recognizing concussion signs is crucial, as they can happen in everyday situations, especially during high-contact activities, with symptoms noticeable right after the injury or that may take days to appear.
Knowing the severe signs and early detection of common manifestations can help prevent complications like post-concussion syndrome or, in rare cases, second-impact syndrome.
Common Symptoms
When you experience a concussion, various signs can alert you to the injury. They range from physical discomforts to cognitive issues that cause impairment to your daily activities.
Headache
A headache is a common symptom of a concussion, often felt as a constant, dull ache or throbbing pain, either in one spot or throughout the whole head.
The intensity of the headache can vary, sometimes accompanied by pressure in the head or sensitivity to noise, light, touch, and movement.
Symptoms may appear right after an injury or gradually worsen with movement, bright lights, or loud sounds, impacting daily activities. In some cases, it worsens with physical exertion or mental tasks.
Ringing in the Ears
Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is a common symptom of concussion, often described as buzzing, hissing, or whistling sounds.
It occurs due to disruptions in the brain’s auditory processing, affecting how sound signals are interpreted after head trauma and the injury to the brain.
This symptom may be temporary or persist for weeks, interfering with concentration, sleep, and overall comfort.
The intensity of tinnitus can fluctuate, sometimes worsening in quiet environments, making it difficult for individuals to focus or rest properly during concussion recovery.
Dizziness and Balance Issues
Dizziness after a concussion can cause lightheadedness or a spinning sensation, making it difficult to focus, stand straight, or move steadily.
It may occur suddenly or persist, worsened by body movements, standing up quickly, or exposure to bright lights and crowded environments.
Balance issues often accompany dizziness, leading to unsteady walking or difficulty maintaining posture, and simple movements such as turning the head, shifting positions, or changing direction.
Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea is another symptom of concussion that can develop immediately or gradually after trauma, causing an unsettled feeling in the stomach. It can become challenging to keep food down and maintain your appetite.
Some individuals experience waves of queasiness related to headaches and dizziness, especially when standing up or engaging in mental or physical activities.
Vomiting can occur alongside nausea, particularly in the early stages after the injury, triggered by dizziness, increased head pressure, or movement, and ranges from mild to severe and frequent episodes.
Vision Changes
A concussion can also result in blurry vision, causing objects to appear hazy or out of focus. Double vision affects your depth perception and increases your risk of further accidents.
Reading, screen use, or focusing on details may become difficult, leading to eye strain and complicating headaches, nausea, or sensitivity to light.
Looking between near and far objects or at different directions negatively affects distance perception. Closing one eye can provide temporary relief, while some may experience persistent vision challenges.
Confusion and Disorientation
Concussions can lead to disorientation with time, place, or even personal details. You may feel lost in familiar settings or momentarily forget what you are doing. Navigating new places becomes challenging, and misplacing items becomes more frequent.
Confusion can also affect social interactions, making following conversations difficult. You may struggle to understand questions, seem dazed, or get lost in a conversation.
At times, there may also be a heavy, clouded sensation in the head, accompanied by forgetfulness and trouble finding the right words.
Delayed Responses
Concussions can make it difficult to react quickly. You might experience a lag between thought and action, making everyday interactions and activities more challenging.
Simple tasks take longer to accomplish, and multitasking can feel overwhelming. Physical movements may also be affected, with slowed reactions to external stimuli.
Tasks requiring coordination, such as typing or driving, can feel sluggish or uncoordinated, increasing safety concerns. Simple reflexes are also noticeably impaired, including catching or dodging an object.
Fatigue
A concussion can leave you feeling fatigued, causing even small tasks to feel exhausting. You may feel drained even after getting enough sleep, unable to recover despite comfortable rest.
Your energy levels can drop quickly with minimal effort, making daily activities require more effort than usual. Fatigue can worsen when you engage in mental or physical exertion.
The struggle to stay alert, muscle weakness, and a general sense of heaviness also come with exhaustion, making it harder to concentrate or perform actions.
Emotional and Behavioral Symptoms
When you experience a concussion, you may encounter more than just physical symptoms. Emotional and behavioral changes can be observed, causing you to feel or act differently than usual and may affect mood, responses, and social interactions.
Irritability
A concussion can make you more irritable, making minor frustrations feel overwhelming. You may become impatient, snap at others, or be easily annoyed by daily activities.
Even minor inconveniences that are usually not bothersome can trigger unexpected agitation, reactions, or emotional outbursts, which can be offensive to those around you.
Your irritability may fluctuate throughout the day, worsening when you’re fatigued, stressed, or engaged in tasks that require focus. Social interactions might feel frustrating, leading you to withdraw or respond short-temperedly.
Mood Swings
Concussions cause sudden mood swings, leading to unpredictable emotional shifts. A person may feel happy one moment and frustrated or upset the next.
These changes can occur without clear triggers or emotional buildup, making it difficult to manage unstable feelings in daily interactions and situations.
Emotional responses may feel exaggerated, with minor setbacks or simple disagreements causing strong reactions. Frustration or sadness can appear out of nowhere, sometimes leading to tears or anger.
These mood fluctuations may be more intense when feeling tired, overwhelmed, or struggling with the effects of common concussion symptoms.
Anxiety or Nervousness
You might also have lingering feelings of anxiety, leading to excessive worry or uneasiness due to the trauma combined with the symptoms experienced.
Nervousness usually intensifies in unfamiliar environments. You can become overly cautious, fearing further injury or making mistakes. Restlessness and constant nervousness can make it difficult to feel at ease.
Physical symptoms like a racing heart, tense muscles, or shallow breathing can accompany anxious feelings, making it harder to stay calm.
Depression or Apathy
Concussion symptoms can also lead to persistent sadness or a sense of hopelessness. You might feel emotionally drained, struggle with motivation, or lose interest in activities you once enjoyed.
Apathy also makes you feel emotionally detached or insensitive to your surroundings. You may show little reaction to events, withdraw from social interactions, or struggle to find enjoyment as you are preoccupied with the status of your health.
Unusual Sleeping Patterns
Symptoms of a concussion can include increased sleep, resulting in excessive daytime drowsiness. Staying awake could be a struggle, and you might also nap frequently as you feel tired despite long hours of sleep.
While this may be your body’s way of recovering, some have reported experiencing reduced sleep quality, and you might also have trouble falling asleep, leaving you restless.
Your mind can feel overstimulated, preventing complete relaxation. Tossing and turning in bed throughout the night is a common behavior when one can’t sleep.
You may wake up several times at night feeling uneasy due to your restless mind, even after you have fallen asleep.
Severe Symptoms
When you notice any of these critical signs after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body, it might indicate a severe concussion. It’s important to get emergency help fast, as this can prevent further harm and improve outcomes.
Splitting Headaches and Continuous Vomiting
Worsening headaches after a concussion may indicate increased pressure in the brain. The pain can intensify over time, becoming persistent and severe. It may feel throbbing or sharp, and does not improve with common pain medications.
Repeated episodes of vomiting usually suggest a more serious injury and could result in other issues, complicating one’s condition. The frequency and severity of vomiting may increase as the effects of concussion progress.
Agitation and Aggressiveness
A concussion can make you feel suddenly agitated, causing frustration over minor issues. You may be restless, struggle to control your emotions, reacting more intensely than usual.
You might also experience increased aggressiveness, leading to uncharacteristic anger or hostility. Conversations may feel more confrontational, and you could find yourself reacting impulsively.
Small annoyances or inconveniences that didn’t bother you before may now trigger strong emotional responses, making it harder to stay composed in everyday interactions.
Unequal Pupil Size
Uneven pupil size is one of the severe signs of a concussion. One of your pupils may appear noticeably larger than the other.
This difference in size may be constant or react slowly to light exposure, and can be accompanied by blurred vision or difficulty focusing.
Slurred Speech
Slurred speech can also occur after a concussion, causing words to sound slow, mumbled, or unclear. You may pause frequently, mix up words, or have trouble finishing sentences.
Speaking requires more effort, and others might notice changes in your tone or rhythm. The difficulty in controlling mouth and tongue movements can make speech sound uneven or delayed.
Increased fatigue or cognitive strain due to brain injury can further impair communication skills, especially during extended conversations or mental exertion.
Numbness or Tingling of Arms and Legs
Numbness or tingling in the arms and legs can occur after a concussion due to nerve involvement. This sensation may feel like pins and needles or a loss of feeling, affecting your mobility and coordination.
The sensation can be temporary or persistent, sometimes affecting only one side of the body. Depending on the severity of the injury, weakness or difficulty with movement may accompany numbness.
Seizures or Convulsions
Concussions can also trigger seizures, particularly immediately after impact, but frequent seizure episodes need immediate medical attention as they signal impaired brain function.
Symptoms may include blank staring, muscle jerking, or unresponsiveness, typically lasting seconds to minutes. Post-seizure confusion and fatigue can sometimes be observed.
Convulsions typically involve full-body or localized muscle twitching. Jaw clenching, breathing changes, drooling, and temporary loss of consciousness can occur during an episode and cause muscle weakness and soreness due to prolonged muscle contractions.
Loss of Consciousness
Loss of consciousness after a traumatic incident can last for seconds to minutes, depending on the severity of the impact.
One may collapse, appear unresponsive, or fail to recall the moment of injury. Upon regaining awareness, it is expected to observe disorientation or confusion about what happened.
Others experience a sudden blackout without warning, while some report a gradual fading sensation before losing consciousness. The duration and severity of unconsciousness can influence the intensity of other related symptoms.
