Concussions put you at risk of suffering from short- and long-term health effects. Although the cause of the concussion can influence what type of symptoms you experience and how long they last, concussions should never be taken lightly. If you let your symptoms go unaddressed, you could end up dealing with even more severe health issues down the road.
There are three different types of concussions, or traumatic brain injuries. Each one is categorized by its level of severity.
Also referred to as grade 1, a mild concussion can produce headaches, nausea and a lack of balance. At this level, memory loss usually doesn’t occur, but if it does, the symptom tends to last for about 15 to 30 minutes. Generally, a person with a mild concusion is initially confused about what just happened and has trouble regaining their focus.
A moderate concussion, or grade 2, is more serious because the chances of incurring memory loss are greater and those episodes usually last longer—sometimes up to 24 hours. With this type of concussion, symptoms of a mild concussion like nausea, dizziness and blurred vision occur but they often tend to be stronger, causing much more discomfort and pain.
A severe concussion, or grade 3, has the most serious symptoms and side effects. Following the impact or cause of the concussion, loss of consciousness typically takes place, lasting several minutes, depending on the situation. Memory loss occurs, as well. Someone suffering from a severe concussion is unable to concentrate, cannot see clearly for long periods of time, and may experience constant headaches.
It’s important to seek medical attention if you show any signs of a concussion—whether mild, moderate, or severe—in order to begin the healing process. To get you started, here are some concussion recovery tips.
To learn more about concussions and traumatic brain injuries, please take a look at these other blog posts: 5 Interesting Facts about Concussions and Concussion Recovery Time: How Long Does it Take to Heal? You can also take a closer look at our concussion recovery program, here.