Concussion Awareness Now Corner
Categories: THE Challenge!
Despite being relatively common occurrences, concussions are still widely misunderstood, with misconceptions about their causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment potentially preventing people from seeking the care they need. To continue to narrow this knowledge gap, during Brain Injury Awareness Month, Concussion Awareness Now (CAN) set out to start the concussion conversation by busting concussion myths.
During March, CAN hosted a “Busting Concussion Myths” webinar, where panelists Dr. Beth McQuiston, a neuroscientist and medical director for Global Neuroscience Research at Abbott; Dr. Drew Nagele, a neuropsychologist and board-certified rehabilitation psychologist who’s worked for over 40 years in brain injury rehabilitation; Katherine Snedaker, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Pink Concussions, a non-profit focused on awareness and advocacy around brain injury in women; and Kellie Pokrifka, a brain injury survivor and member of the Brain Injury Association of America’s Survivor Council, came together to compare the persistent concussion myths with the facts:
MYTH: Sports are the leading cause of concussions
FACT: Falls are the leading cause of concussions. “Gravity is actually the biggest cause of concussions,” Dr. McQuiston said, pointing out that while certain age groups, particularly older adults, are more susceptible to falls, anyone can fall at any time.
MYTH: Concussions present the same way in everyone
FACT: Just as concussions can be sustained in a variety of ways, symptoms can appear differently from person to person, and even differently in the same person across multiple concussions.
MYTH: Concussions affect men and women similarly
FACT: Research shows significant differences in how concussions manifest in males versus females, both in causes and symptoms. Snedaker noted that while data suggests men experience concussions at twice the rate of women, many cases in women may go unreported. Dr. McQuiston noted that there are also biological factors that can make concussions more problematic for women as well.
MYTH: CT scans and MRIs always detect concussions
FACT: Many people believe that if diagnostic imaging comes back clear, they don’t have a concussion. According to the panel, this is false. “The vast majority of head CTs are going to be negative. So even if you had a concussion, 90 percent of those CTs are going to be negative. That doesn’t mean you didn’t have a brain injury. That just means that you didn’t have a brain bleed or a skull fracture,” Dr. McQuiston said.