How to alleviate a mild concussion

Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
Updated on December 21, 2024
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Mild concussion usually leads to retrograde amnesia and transient consciousness disturbances in patients after the injury. Patients may also experience headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, decline in memory, and lack of concentration. To alleviate mild concussion, it is important to first ensure that the patient gets adequate rest, avoids staying up late, and maintains a quiet environment. Secondly, it is essential to pay attention to the patient's nutritional needs, adopting a light and easily digestible diet. Thirdly, symptomatic medical treatment should be considered, especially if the patient suffers severely from headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, or insomnia. In such cases, analgesic and hypnotic medications can be used to relieve symptoms.

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Concussions are classified into several types.

Concussions are usually categorized into several levels based on the severity of their clinical symptoms. Generally, the higher the level, the more pronounced the symptoms in patients. They can generally be divided into five levels. Patients with a level one concussion may experience mild consciousness disturbances, but these are short-lived and generally do not leave noticeable residual effects. Patients with a level two concussion might experience slight headaches and dizziness, accompanied by vertigo. Patients with a level three concussion show evident retrograde amnesia. Patients with a level four concussion experience mild disturbances in consciousness, manifesting as states of drowsiness, stupor, or coma. Patients with a level five concussion present with clear clinical symptoms, characterized by recurrent headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
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How long should one rest for a concussion?

Concussions generally require about one to two weeks of rest, depending mainly on the specific symptoms of the patient. If the symptoms are relatively mild and the injury was not particularly severe, then about a week of rest is usually sufficient for returning to normal work and study. In some cases, if the concussion was relatively severe at the time of injury and subsequent complications or sequelae occur, then the rest period may need to be appropriately extended, possibly to about a month, depending on the patient's specific symptoms. In the vast majority of cases, resting for two weeks is generally sufficient for returning to normal work and study without involving any special issues. As long as medical advice is followed and treatment is correctly administered, many concussions can heal completely.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
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How to check for a concussion?

How is a concussion diagnosed? In fact, the diagnosis of a concussion is primarily based on clinical manifestations such as a clear history of head trauma, temporary confusion, and retrograde amnesia. Concussions can also undergo some routine examinations, such as CT scans of the head, X-rays of the head, electroencephalography, cerebral blood flow imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. However, these test results are usually negative, meaning that the diagnosis of a concussion mainly relies on clinical manifestations and there are no effective diagnostic tests.

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Written by Li Pei
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Symptoms of concussion

Concussion is the mildest form of traumatic brain injury. The symptoms of concussion primarily include: first, a brief period of clouded consciousness shortly after the injury, typically lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes, generally not exceeding half an hour; second, retrograde amnesia, where the patient cannot clearly recall the events during the injury, but memory of events prior to the injury remains clear; third, common symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, poor sleep, and decreased memory; fourth, the patient's cranial examination reveals no significant abnormalities, and lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid color and tests are normal.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
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How to deal with vomiting from a concussion?

Concussion usually manifests as temporary consciousness disorder and immediate amnesia, meaning the inability to recall specific details at the time. Some patients also experience a series of clinical symptoms including headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, and memory decline. If a patient with a concussion vomits, the first step should be to conduct a head CT to rule out the possibility of intracranial hemorrhage. In addition, symptomatic treatment can be actively provided, with metoclopramide commonly used for intramuscular injection.