New study points to longer recovery periods needed for concussion

A new study published by the journal Neurology, suggests that even mild concussion damage may last for several months – and much longer than the impact itself is felt.

The study, conducted in the US, compared the brains of 50 people with mild concussion, against 50 people without it. Those who had suffered concussion had experienced some initial problems such as headaches and dizziness, but this had cleared up within a few weeks. However, when examined four months later, doctors could still detect differences in fluid movement on their brain, which suggested that the injuries had not healed, despite those affected feeling like they had recovered.

Dr Andrew Mayer, lead researcher, said “The big take-home message is that even though people report feeling better, the brain might not be completely healed”. He also stated that multiple smaller injuries over a short space of time might be worse that a single big injury.

This study will fuel the on-going debate about head injuries in sport, and how quickly players should be allowed to return to play following even a minor injury, when they may feel like they are recovered, but in reality their brains need much longer to heal.

Professor John Hardy, from University College London, who has previously called for a ban on boxing, was unsurprised by the research and commented “I think there’s much too relaxed an attitude to head injury… when it happens it needs to be taken seriously and (people need to) have the proper time off no matter how long it takes”.

Read the source article here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24991844

Read more on sports and head injuries here:
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