Recovery after a concussion

Concussions are common among sports players, children, adolescents and the elderly. Although most people recover from concussion symptoms within two weeks, without proper diagnosis and management, the symptoms of concussion can last for months or even longer.

Concussions cause damage to the brain tissue. As our brains control all of our bodily functions, from physical movement to mental processes such as thoughts, emotions, memory and speech, a concussion may give rise to a range of symptoms.To fully recover from concussion, it is important to seek medical attention after a head injury. Doctors evaluate the mental and physical abilities of the patient and they may require further testing such as CT or MRI brain imaging scans. However, not all concussions can be detected with these methods.

Medicortex is developing an easy-to-use diagnostic test for concussions which will analyse a urine or saliva sample from the patient and enable fast and accurate diagnosis of concussion.

If concussion diagnosis is confirmed, the doctor may recommend resting for a period of time. Resting helps heal the injury in the brain and aids in recovery from concussion symptoms. Getting plenty of sleep, avoiding activities that are physically demanding or require a lot of concentration have been shown to improve concussion symptoms. In addition, it is recommended to protect the head from any further physical impact, as brain becomes even more sensitive to damage after a concussion. Thus, sports activities which may have caused the concussion in the first place should be avoided for a period of time.

Recovery from a concussion may take time, but it is not impossible. Accurate and timely diagnosis of concussion is essential to take the first steps towards recovery.