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Concussions: Myths and Truths Pittsfield, Massachusetts (MA) - Berkshire Health Systems
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Health Take-Away

Health Take-Away

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  • Concussions: Myths and Truths
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  • Breast Cancer Awareness: Mammograms Save Lives
  • Antibiotic Resistance
  • Lung Cancer Screening
  • Giving Thanks
  • Healthy Holidays
  • Alcohol's Impact on Breast Cancer Risk
  • Acupuncture Can Help with Relief in Breast Cancer Care
  • Breast Reconstruction Surgery Journey is Personal
  • Building Your Immunity during COVID-19
  • Emotional Toll of COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Anti-Body Testing: What It Tells You What It Won't
  • Treating Varicose Veins
  • Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine: What is OMM
  • Know Your Audiology Options
  • Pets as Therapists
  • Reducing the Stigma of Substance Use Disorder
  • Be Kind to Your Heart
  • Headache Care
  • Managing Presenteeism
  • Don't Struggle with Resolutions
  • Enjoy the Holidays Through the Gift of Giving
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • Save a Life, Lift Your Soul, Give Blood
  • Team Approach for Breast Cancer
  • Surviving Breast Cancer: A Journey
  • Hunger in the Berkshires
  • Vaccinations Help Avoid Needless Risks
  • Embrace Mindfulness
  • Low Carb High Fat Diet has Benefits
  • Probiotics Uses the Good Bugs to Fight the Bad Ones
  • Use the Power of Nature for Better Health
  • Unplug from Online for Better Health
  • Weight Loss Through Narrowing Your Eating Window
  • Mammography and Dense Breast Tissue
  • Medication-Assisted Treatment for Addiction Disorder
  • Smoker or Former Smoker? Lung Cancer Screening is Recommended for You
  • Be Safe When Using Over the Counter Medications
  • Screenings for Colon Cancer
  • Thyroid Health Essential to Metabolism
  • Go for Nutrition that is Heart Healthy
  • High Blood Pressure and Ways to Lower It
  • Hospitalists: Your Around the Clock Caregiver
  • Weight Loss Surgery Has Lasting Impact
  • Can you Find Joy in the Holidays When Sick?
  • Coping with Holiday Depression
  • When Quitting Smoking You May Need to Try and Try Again
  • Vaginal Birth after C-Section
  • New Tool to Assess Breast Cancer Risk
  • Migraines: How to Treat Them
  • Vestibular Care: It's All in Your Ears
  • Prepare for a Healthy Trip Abroad
  • New Moms Encouraged to Breast Feed
  • Language Diversity Important to Healthcare
  • Latest Advances in Joint Replacement
  • Vaping and Nicotine Addiction
  • Urgent Care or Emergency Department
  • Free Medicare Wellness Visit
  • Rehabilitation from Stroke Onset
  • Life Threatening Stroke Can be Prevented
  • Mammography and MRI for Women with High Risk of Breast Cancer
  • Breaking the Silence on Kidney Disease
  • Stop Mindless Eating
  • Hospitals Working to Improve Heart Health
  • Your Healthy Gut Bacteria
  • Give Up Smoking in 2018
  • Healthy Resolutions for 2018
  • Healthy Giving for 2017
  • Concussions: Myths and Truths
  • Celebrate a Thankful & Healthy Holiday
  • Don't Die of Embarrassment: Get Screened for Colon Cancer
  • Don't Let the Flu Get You This Season
  • Advanced Cardiac Imaging
  • Chronic Wound Care
  • What is a Hospitalist?
  • Healthy Heart Rhythms
  • Wellness Coaching
  • Men's Health In Crisis
  • Prevent Stroke or Respond FAST
  • Walking to Good Health
  • Healing Through Acupuncture
  • Self Care is Our Future
  • Family Wellness - Play Together Stay Healthy Together
  • Rewriting Your Book of Life
  • Pre-Diabetes: A Wake-Up Call for Better Health
  • Overcoming Crisis With Resiliency
  • Stepping Off the Slippery Slope
  • Sleep & Wellness: Learning to Cherish Your Sleep
  • Kicking the Habit and Ending the Fear
  • High Blood Pressure: One of the Few Things in Life We Can Control
  • Friendship is Powerful Medicine
  • It's Flu Season: Get the Vaccine!
  • The Healing Power of Gratitude
  • Where's the Joy?
  • New Year's Resolutions to Live By
  • Preventing Falls: A Leading Health Risk for the Older Population
  • Staying Healthy in the Office
  • Exercising at Home and Staying Fit in the Winter
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation: Regaining a Healthier and Better Life
  • Nutrition & Exercise: Two Great Gifts for Children
  • A Screening That Has Saved More than a Million Lives
  • How Walking Can Change Your Life
  • Injury-Free Sports & Activities
  • Have a Healthy Summer
  • Head to a Farmers' Market
  • Just Breathe
  • Lyme Disease Facts
  • Mindful Eating
  • Empathy in Healthcare
  • Preparing Your Family for an Emergency
  • Helping Someone to Cope with Opioid Addiction
  • Breast Cancer Awareness: Mammograms Save Lives
  • Antibiotic Resistance
  • Lung Cancer Screening
  • Giving Thanks
  • Healthy Holidays

Concussions: Myths and Truths

KULBERG.jpg

Heads up on concussions: separating the myths from the truths
By Alan G. Kulberg, MD

Understanding the diagnosis and treatment of head concussions, one of the most common traumas affecting millions of people each year, particularly during the fall sports season, requires separating some persistent myths from the essential truths. 

Let’s start with the truths: 

TRUTH: Concussions are far more common – and unreported – than many people realize.  An estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year. Approximately one in every three people will sustain a concussion before age 21. Athletes often don’t report symptoms out of fear they won’t be able to participate in their sport. Concussions caused by everyday slips, falls and other accidents often are overlooked. 

TRUTH: The short and longer-term symptoms of concussion are often invisible to others.  Though most patients are able to return to normal activities within two to three weeks, for some the physical and cognitive disruption can persist for months. When symptoms are so subtle, patients may feel pressured to resume full activity earlier than they should.

TRUTH: The damage to the brain in a concussion is not visible by the commonly-used imaging techniques like X-rays, CT, or MRI scans. Proper diagnosis requires obtaining a detailed account of the incident which caused the injury and a thorough history, physical, neurological and cognitive examination. Only then can the full extent of the concussion – and the right treatment plan – be established.

TRUTH: Returning to normal activities without allowing the brain to heal properly can lead to a wide range of complications.  These can include increased risk of serious injury in the event of a second concussion, as well as academic and mood challenges. 

TRUTH: Effective concussion management is a team effort. Responsible treatment goes beyond the doctor and the patient. The patient’s family, teachers, coaches and others need to be brought into the loop on any academic and activity restrictions prescribed by the patient’s doctors. 

And now to dispel a few myths: 

MYTH: A concussion is always accompanied by a loss of consciousness.  In fact, only about 1 in 10 patients with a concussion will have lost consciousness. That’s why it’s essential to take other early symptoms seriously, including headache, nausea, fatigue, balance problems, changes in vision, a sensitivity to light and noise, as well as cognitive symptoms like memory loss and slowed thinking.

MYTH: You need a bang on the head to get a concussion.  In fact, anything that jars the head and causes a sudden shaking of the brain inside the skull can cause concussion, including whiplash in a car accident, the clash of shoulders in a contact sport or a simple fall on the ice, even if the head isn’t hit.

MYTH: Helmets prevent concussion.  In fact, while helmets should always be worn in hard-contact sports to protect against head fractures and contusions, they don’t guard against concussion. The sudden jolting of the brain against the inside of the skull – helmet or no helmet – causes microscopic injury to brain cells.

MYTH: Concussions mainly happen in contact sports. In fact, while concussions rightfully are a common cause of concern in athletics, from youth leagues to professional sports, many concussions occur in everyday slips and falls and car accidents, but often are overlooked.  Regardless of how the concussion happens, patients should understand they must return to a state of effective learning before returning to activity. 

MYTH: Prolonged rest following a concussion is always the best approach to treatment. In fact, while complete physical and cognitive rest is important for those first 24 to 48 hours, “cocooning” a patient for longer than that can make matters worse, not only physically, but emotionally due to social isolation and falling behind in school, which can lead to anxiety and depression.   

Alan G. Kulberg, MD, is the Medical Director of the Concussion Evaluation and Rehabilitation Clinic at Berkshire Medical Center.

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