Injuring your head may cause a concussion, which is a brain injury. This could be from a fall, from running into something or by someone hitting you. The Mayo Clinic reports that whatever the severity of the concussion, the result is interference with how the brain functions. A concussion can, for example, cause coordination problems, balance difficulties and throw your reflexes off as well as affect your judgment and memory.
Immediate Symptoms
When you experience a brain injury or concussion, there may be some symptoms that occur immediately or soon after the incident that caused it. The first of these is mental confusion, which may be as severe as amnesia. The Mayo Clinic says that even though you may not lose consciousness, you may experience amnesia the makes you forget what caused the injury. Other early symptoms may include fatigue, headaches, speech slurring, dizziness, noises in the ears such as ringing, and vomiting and nausea. Any of these may last from a short time up to several weeks.
Later Symptoms
Symptoms of a concussion may not manifest for several hours or several days, and you may not immediately associate them with a concussion. If you have had a blow to the head and you experience any of these symptoms, you may have a brain injury: depression, irritability, concentration difficulties, memory difficulties, disturbances of your sleep and noise and light sensitivity.
Children's Symptoms
Because children tend to play---and sometimes roughly---they can get concussions. Younger children especially may not be able to explain their feelings or injuries, so there are some symptoms associated with children's concussions to look out for in your child. Some of these are common to adults who have had a concussion as well. They include incoordination, balance loss, unsteady walking, tiredness, listlessness, a loss of or decreased interest in toys that generally are the child's favorites, crankiness, irritability, sleep pattern changes or eating pattern changes.
