Multiple concussion injuries -- a risk factor for some types of dementia
Many people have had one or more concussion injuries during their lifetimes, but for those of us who are older, such injuries may not have been noticed or given expert medical attention, during the early years of our lives. Common wisdom at the time suggested that if you didn't get knocked out, a bump on the head was no big deal -- even if your headaches, dizziness, brain fog, etc. lasted and lasted. Worse yet, no one knew to tell us that we should not have gone right back into whatever we were doing when we got hurt -- even if that was football practice!! We now know that concussion symptoms can emerge gradually, and we are more vulnerable to more serious injury, when we've recently been concussed. Finally, being in a car accident in the days before seatbelts and headrests made it much more likely for us to be thrown around the car, and although even doctors didn't know this back then (before all the amazing forms of brain imaging the medical professions have access to now), that kind of violent motion alone can cause concussion -- even if you didn't actually hit your head.
Bottom line, we may all have had concussion injuries, whether we remember them or not. How many and how serious those injuries actually were can have an impact on our risk of cognitive difficulties, as we age. And, older adults are still at risk for head injuries: We are more likely to fall, and we still drive or are passengers in motor vehicles, to name just a few examples. Self-care is very important, if we are unlucky enough to fall, end up in a car wreck, or otherwise get "shaken up" significantly. Remember, you don't have to hit your head, to sustain concussion injury.
TALK TO A DOCTOR as soon as possible after such a situation, to be sure you are doing the right things to protect your brain!! Specialists in Neurology and Sports Medicine are especially expert at helping people recover from concussion injuries.
Many people have had one or more concussion injuries during their lifetimes, but for those of us who are older, such injuries may not have been noticed or given expert medical attention, during the early years of our lives. Common wisdom at the time suggested that if you didn't get knocked out, a bump on the head was no big deal -- even if your headaches, dizziness, brain fog, etc. lasted and lasted. Worse yet, no one knew to tell us that we should not have gone right back into whatever we were doing when we got hurt -- even if that was football practice!! We now know that concussion symptoms can emerge gradually, and we are more vulnerable to more serious injury, when we've recently been concussed. Finally, being in a car accident in the days before seatbelts and headrests made it much more likely for us to be thrown around the car, and although even doctors didn't know this back then (before all the amazing forms of brain imaging the medical professions have access to now), that kind of violent motion alone can cause concussion -- even if you didn't actually hit your head.
Bottom line, we may all have had concussion injuries, whether we remember them or not. How many and how serious those injuries actually were can have an impact on our risk of cognitive difficulties, as we age. And, older adults are still at risk for head injuries: We are more likely to fall, and we still drive or are passengers in motor vehicles, to name just a few examples. Self-care is very important, if we are unlucky enough to fall, end up in a car wreck, or otherwise get "shaken up" significantly. Remember, you don't have to hit your head, to sustain concussion injury.
TALK TO A DOCTOR as soon as possible after such a situation, to be sure you are doing the right things to protect your brain!! Specialists in Neurology and Sports Medicine are especially expert at helping people recover from concussion injuries.