--- title: "Concussions | Sutter Health" description: "A mild brain injury can happen after a car accident, fall or sports injury. Learn how to prevent, identify and recover from a concussion." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/concussion" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Health and wellness](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health) / 3. Concussion # Concussions Any impact can give you a mild brain injury. Here’s how to prevent and recover from concussion. * * * September 27, 2024Medically reviewed by Ashley A. Becker, BSJen Hawkinger, MPH A concussion is also called a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). It means your brain has swelled because of a blow to the head or another part of your body. Concussions can be caused by car accidents, falls and sports injuries. If you’ve been injured during a game or sport, it’s extremely important to watch for symptoms of a concussion. If you have any symptoms commonly associated with a concussion following a collision, _IMMEDIATELY_ stop playing and seek medical care as soon as possible. Symptoms include: - **Loss of consciousness** for any time. - **Persistent headache.** - **Nausea or vomiting.** - **Cognitive impairment,** including problems following instructions, difficulty responding to questions or generally feeling “foggy.” - **Eye problems,** such as blurred vision or double vision. - **Drowsiness.** - **Balance problems and clumsiness.** - **Forgetfulness** of events directly before or after the injury. - **Light or noise sensitivity.** - **Seizures** (indicates a need for immediate medical attention). - **Emotional changes,** such as mood swings. ## Preventing Concussion Whether or not you’ve had a concussion before, the following tips can help you stay safe. - Wear a helmet. While helmets can’t prevent a concussion, they can reduce the severity of a head injury. Always wear a helmet while riding a bike, skateboarding, playing contact sports like football or lacrosse and while riding a horse. - Report any possible concussion to your parent, coach or healthcare provider. - Never try to “just play through” a head injury. - Follow the rules of play and exhibit good sportsmanship when participating in contact sports such as football or hockey. - Speak up if something looks unsafe. Questioning a peer or authority figure can be intimidating, but speaking up can help you and your teammates prevent serious injury. ## Recovery From Concussion - Rest, rest, rest! Getting plenty of sleep will help you recover. - Tell your doctor about any changes in symptoms or if new symptoms arise. - Don’t exercise or play sports until cleared by your care provider. - Let your teachers know what’s going on and ask for extensions as needed. You may need a note from your doctor to make this request. - Be patient with yourself. Just as with any other injury, it’ll take time to fully recover and feel “normal” again. - [Learn more](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/parents-guide-to-concussions) about the typical steps for returning to school and sports. **Last reviewed:** August 2019 ## Explore related topics [Teen's health](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/articles?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_healthTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Teen%27s+health%22%5D%7D%2C%7B%22i%22%3A%22builtin.entityType%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Sutter+Health+Page%22%5D%7D%5D&limit=10&verticalKey=health-and-wellness) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","name":"Concussions | Sutter Health","description":"A mild brain injury can happen after a car accident, fall or sports injury. 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