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What is a concussion?

Concussion is a brain injury that happens when an athlete collides with another person or the ground, or is hit by the ball or puck.

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How do concussions happen?

Getting hit in the head or body can make the brain crash against the inside of the skull, damaging the nerve fibers and causing concussive symptoms. You can’t see this kind of damage on an MRI or CT scan.

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How do concussions happen in sports?

  1. Ball contact while batting – 25.0%
  2. Player contact while fielding – 12.5%
  3. Ball contact while fielding – 12.5%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
Men's Basketball
  1. Player contact while defending – 23.8%
  2. Player contact while rebounding – 21.4%
  3. Player contact during general play – 20.2%
Women's Basketball
  1. Player contact during general play – 24.1%
  2. Player contact while rebounding – 15.5%
  3. Player contact while defending – 13.8%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
  1. Player contact while blocking – 20.4%
  2. Player contact while tackling – 19.9%
  3. Player Contact while being tackled – 14.4%
  4. Player contact while being blocked – 11.9%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
  1. Surface contact during floor routine – 33.3%
  2. Surface contact during uneven bars – 25.0%
  3. Contact with balance beam – 16.7%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
Men’s ice hockey
  1. Player contact while checking – 23.7%
  2. Player contact during general play – 22.8%
  3. Player contact while handling puck – 8.9%
Women’s ice hockey
  1. Player contact during general play – 24.7%
  2. Surface contact during general play – 10.6%
  3. Player contact while defending – 8.2%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
Men's Lacrosse
  1. Player contact during general play – 17.7%
  2. Player contact while chasing loose ball – 15.7%
Women's Lacrosse
  1. Player contact while defending – 10.9%
  2. Stick contact while defending – 10.9%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
Men's soccer
  1. Player contact while heading ball – 23.6%
  2. Player contact during general play – 14.6%
  3. Player contact while goaltending – 10.9%
Women's soccer
  1. Player contact while heading ball – 19.9%
  2. Ball contact while heading ball – 11.0%
  3. Player contact during general play – 8.8%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
  1. Ball contact while fielding 20.8%
  2. Player contact while fielding – 13.2%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
Women's Volleyball
  1. Surface contact while digging – 23.2%
  2. Ball contact while digging – 12.5%
Zuckerman et al., 2015
Men's Wrestling
  1. Player contact during takedown – 31.4%
  2. Player contact while sparring – 16.3%
  3. Surface contact during takedown – 15.1%
Zuckerman et al., 2015

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When do you see symptoms?

Sometimes symptoms come on right away, but other times they can take a few minutes or hours. The adrenaline of the game can mask an injury. 

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What does a concussion LOOK like?

  • Stumbling or trouble getting up
  • Throwing up
  • Poor reaction time
  • Can’t remember the play
  • Crying on the sidelines
  • Loss of consciousness or passing out (only 10% of all concussions)

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What does a concussion FEEL like?

  • Bad headache
  • Difficulty with balance or can’t walk straight
  • Feel dizzy
  • Light hurts eyes, sound hurts ears
  • Can’t think straight, feeling in a “fog”
  • Crying for no reason
  • Trouble remembering what happened
  • Just not feeling “right”

McCrory et al., 2017

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