Concussion Care: Causes
- Snow Sport & Spine Team
- Aug 23, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 11
Causes
What causes my concussion symptoms?
Short answer: symptoms of a concussion are the result of the brain's attempt to operate at decreased capacity
Longer answer: with a traumatic brain injury such as a concussion, rapid head movement or impact causes distress to brain tissue resulting in the sudden release of neurotransmitters
This uncontrolled flood of neurotransmitters causes chemical and metabolic changes all around your brain, making it difficult for cells to function and communicate properly. The result is a decrease in brain function.
Symptoms of a concussion are a result of the brain's attempts to operate at decreased capacity. As the neurons repair themselves, the effect of a concussion decreases and brain function increases.
The time frame for full healing is usually 14-21 days. If symptoms linger longer than 21-30 days, the label of post-concussion syndrome (PCS) or persistent concussion symptoms is given.
Concussion symptoms are commonly derived from many aspects of brain function. As healing is occurring, individual systems and combined neural networks are often slow to respond to stimuli or interpret incoming information incorrectly.
Symptom Origins
Concussion symptoms are commonly derived from many aspects of brain function. As healing is occurring, individual systems and combined neural networks are often slow to respond to stimuli or interpret incoming information incorrectly.
Symptom Perceptions
Observed by others:
Dazed look
Loss of consciousness
Moving slowly or clumsily
Personality changes
Felt by you:
Headache
Nausea
Vomiting
Confusion
Sleep irregularities
Light sensitivity
Noise sensitivity
Difficulty thinking
The systems and networks most commonly involved are:
Vestibular
Visual or oculomotor
Autonomic regulation
Neuroendocrine
Light/Noise sensitivity
Cognitive
Understanding the origin of specific symptoms allows for a targeted concussion treatment approach. After a short period of rest active recovery strategies are important to implement.
Visual System
Do you find yourself experiencing eye strain when reading?
Do you have pressure behind your eyes when using the computer?
After a concussion these symptoms can be caused by a dysregulation of the visual or oculomotor system, a part of the central nervous system. The oculomotor system functions to maintain visual stability and control eye movements.
You may notice an increase in symptoms when you are trying to read, work on the computer, scan the shelves at the grocery store or watch a sports game.
Light Sensitivity
When you step outside do you feel like someone turned up the brightness of the sun?
Do you need the window shades to be drawn during the day?
After a concussion your brain may not be regulating incoming light correctly and instead interpreting all light as information. In this situation, your brain may become overwhelmed by too much visual information. This is why many concussion patients find relief in a dark room.
You may notice an increase in symptoms when spending time in large stores with overhead lights, driving with oncoming headlights or being outside on a bright sunny day.
Cognitive System
Do you feel mentally foggy or slowed down?
Do you have difficulty concentrating?
The cognitive system includes the mental operations the brain performs to process information. This includes creating short and long term memory, concentration and focus on a task, processing speed and reaction time. After a concussion, tasks can take more energy and time to complete.
Cognitive symptoms may appear as not remembering what you have just read, forgetting the location of an item you just put down, difficulty with word-recall and taking longer to complete a familiar task.
Noise Sensitivity
Do you have a hard time focusing out one conversation in a busy room?
Are you unable to have music on in the car while driving?
Our perception of sound starts with neurons in the inner ear and these signals are interpreted by the brain into auditory sensation.
The brain looks to compare the signals from two ears to determine the source of a sound including variables such as volume, pitch, timing and other characteristics and that takes energy.
If there is a mismatch in the information the brain receives from the left and right ear, increased energy and focus is required. Often the signaling from one side is slowed down or sometimes the information is arriving equally but too quickly for the brain to process while attending to other tasks.
Noise sensitivity symptoms may appear as an increase in other concussion symptoms, while in areas of high auditory stimulation. In addition, you may experience difficulty having a conversation in a restaurant, challenges when conversing with multiple people at once, or difficulty focusing with any background music.
