“If you feel you or your child may have a concussion, seek care as soon as possible.” says expert Dr. Kali Hollingsworth. While it might feel like you can just ignore it altogether, this is actually the worst thing you could do. A concussion is “a stretching or irritation of the nerve endings in your brain.” These nerve endings are what control most of your bodily functions, which is why it is so crucial to treat this injury very seriously. This is also why concussions can have a wide range of symptoms. Many would consider the brain to be your most important organ, so it is of utmost importance to treat it that way. 
The recovery process from a concussion can be very variable dependent on how bad your concussion is. Common symptoms include headaches, brain fog, mood swings, and changes in sleeping patterns. Symptoms such as, “vomiting, slurred speech, and balance problems” are indicative of a more serious concussion that will take more time to recover from.
During the period of recovery where symptoms are still prominent, Dr. Hollingsworth suggests “relative rest.”Funnily enough, this means incorporating light exercise daily in between periods of rest is better and has proven to even speed up recovery as opposed to absolute rest. Dr. Hollingsworth recommends any exercise that mildly elevates one’s heart rate is a good example of this “relative rest”, as long as it’s not “causing an increase in symptoms.” Ensuring an athlete has recovered before returning to their sport is vital. Returning to full contact too early can result in “second-impact syndrome”, which can cause seizures and may be fatal in some. Athletic trainers and sports medicine specialists work with schools, athletes, and teams to ensure that a proper recovery happens before athletes return to play.
A system Dr. Hollingsworth and other specialists have developed to help ensure athletes do not return to play too soon is called the five – day – return – to – play. As soon as your symptoms dissipate, you start a five day recovery process, where each day, you increase your daily physical activity, until you are ready to return to your sport. A broken leg, a dislocated shoulder, a fractured arm; all of these can heal. Concussions do not heal in the same way. The more you have, the worse it will get each time. So treat your noggin with respect, and let it heal.
