Concussion should be suspected in the presence of any one or more of the following: symptoms (such as headache), or physical signs (such as unsteadiness), or impaired brain function (e.g. confusion) or abnormal behaviour.
1. Symptoms
Loss of consciousness
Seizure or convulsion
Amnesia
Headache
“Pressure in head”
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Balance problems
Sensitivity to light
Sensitivity to noise
Feeling like “in a fog“
Feeling slowed down
“Don’t feel right”
Difficulty concentrating
Fatigue or low energy
Difficulty remembering
Confusion
Drowsiness
More emotional
Irritability
Sadness
Nervous or anxious
2. Balance testing
Instructions for tandem stance “Now stand heel-to-toe with your non-dominant foot in back. Your weight should be evenly distributed across both feet. You should try to maintain stability for 20 seconds with your hands on your hips and your eyes closed. I will be counting the number of times
3. Memory function
Failure to answer all questions correctly may suggest a concussion. “At what venue are we at today?”,“Which half is it now?”“Who scored last in this game?”,”What team did you play last week / game?”,“Did your team win the last game?”.
