Summary: Short Term Effects Of Concussions

One of the most difficult activities when a student is suffering from a concussion is going to school. In a study done by the American Journal of Public Health, concussions were compared to extremity injuries, a broken arm or ankle. The purpose of the research was to observe the academic dysfunction after an injury. The study showed that on average it took concussed students two days longer to return to school than it did for students with an extremity injury. Looking at the short term effects of concussions, it is evident that becoming concussed has an effect on how a person concentrates and thinks. The students were also compared after one month of school and there was no significant difference in academic performance which signifies that short term symptoms become non existent after a period of time (Wasserman et. …show more content…
Young students and student athletes are eager to get back into the classroom or onto the field, but the most important part when dealing with a concussion is to take it easy and rest. Rest is the best way to recover from the short term effects of a concussion. If a person gets back on the field to early, they risk getting second impact syndrome (SIS). SIS happens when a person receives another concussion without the proper time to heal from a previous one. SIS is fatal, and will cause the brain to herniate through the bottom of the skull causing death. Although SIS is rare, due to the chance of death, SIS is the most severe and life threatening short term effect (Edwards and Bodle 129). Long term effects of concussions are limited, but any short term symptom that lasts over three months is considered a long term effect. This phenomena is called post-concussion syndrome and although it is most often seen in women, men are not immune to