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Concussion

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The Sports Medicine Physician

Abstract

An estimated 1.6–3.8 million sport-related concussions (SRCs) occur annually in the United States [1], and there has been a rise in the number of athletes seeking treatment for this injury in recent years [2]. A concussion is defined as a transient neurometabolic crisis in the brain that is induced by a traumatic biomechanical force to the head or body. The mechanical trauma to the brain results in a distortion and stretching of neuronal structures allowing for unregulated ionic fluctuations that initiate a series of complex neurometabolic events disruptive to brain function [3, 4]. These pathophysiological changes are not detectable with conventional neuroimaging techniques (e.g., computed tomography [CT], magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) [5] but can result in a myriad of neurological signs (e.g., loss of consciousness [LOC], posttraumatic amnesia [PTA]), symptoms (e.g., headache, blurred vision), and impairments (e.g., cognitive deficits, oculomotor abnormalities).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sports Medicine Concussion Program, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Natalie Sherry & Michael W. Collins

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  1. Natalie Sherry
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  2. Michael W. Collins
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Correspondence to Michael W. Collins .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Orthopedics and Traumatology, State University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Campinas / Sao Paulo, Brazil

    Sérgio Rocha Piedade

  2. Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, University of Munich (TUM), München, Bayern, Germany

    Andreas B. Imhoff

  3. Ascot Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand

    Mark Clatworthy

  4. Department of Orthopedics & Traumatology, Federal University of São Paulo, Vila Clementino - São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Moises Cohen

  5. Espregueira-Mendes Sports Centre, Clínica do Dragão, Porto, Portugal

    João Espregueira-Mendes

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Sherry, N., Collins, M.W. (2019). Concussion. In: Rocha Piedade, S., Imhoff, A., Clatworthy, M., Cohen, M., Espregueira-Mendes, J. (eds) The Sports Medicine Physician. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10433-7_31

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