First Tim fro concusion for me today.

Any suggestions for getting over it quick(Er)?

Also would you bin the helmet? It’s clearly taken a proper smack- just like my head!

Cheers

Martin

Only had concussion once, was pretty awful although I also had to get over a lumbar puncture too so not exactly sure which symptoms I could prescribe to which. (Fainted at work and banged my head on a step despite wearing a helmet. No visible injury.)

Took a week or so to feel 100% iirc.

It takes whatever it takes. Could be 1 week, could be 6. Look at the RFU return to play protocol. This can apply to everyone. Obviously IANAD.

Helmet needs to be replaced. It will have been weakened internally.

1. Bin the helmet.

2. Get advice from a doctor about recovery times instead of random advice from the internet. I doubt that there’s anything you can do to speed up recovery, but probably plenty you can do to hamper it (getting additional blows to the head, for example).

3. Use a spell-checker until your brain stabilizes.

It’s ok to vomit once or twice but three times go to hospital. Have someone with you for first 24hrs.
Takes as long as it takes, a mate had a pretty big bang on the head, took over a year. Medics and scans confirmed brain “bruising” but he did fully recover.

Don’t try to speed up recover – I did with a previous concussion and ended up making things a lot worse for a lot longer.

It’s a very disconcerting injury, but treat it as you would any other physical injury – it needs time and rest to heal.

You can’t speed recovery up, plenty of evidence now showing it doesn’t work. Takes time.

Definitely new helmet time.

As above no short cuts and make sure someone is around to keep an eye on you for at least 24hrs!!

Some great advice here:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/concussion/

I would say that even vomiting once is justification for a visit to A&E. Concussion used to be something that was laughed off – now it’s seen for what it actually is, minor brain damage, and is prioritised accordingly.

Guidance above says “feeling sick”, which is different IMO from “being sick”. You don’t say if you had any loss of consciousness or amnesia, which also make it more severe.

Bin the helmet. If took me at least a week to feel anything like normal after a severe concussion (brief loss of consciousness and loss of memory of the day) a couple of years ago. Then a few weeks after that to feel 100%. Keep an eye out for any developing symptoms over the next couple of weeks too, I ended up with a slow brain bleed that only manifested in noticeable symptoms (hand/arm/face numbness) after 2 months, by which time I thought I was well in the clear!

You can’t speed up recovery from concussion, in rugby we work to three weeks initially to make sure a player is over their injury, but can take much much longer.

I’d be going to see a doctor and getting it checked, better to be on the safe side with a head injury.

Use a spell-checker until your brain stabilizes

Last time I had it the best way to describe it was like being a bit drunk without realising it, I remember looking at my phone a few days after and there were messages that I couldn’t even remember sending (complete with dodgy spelling!)

I’d also torn my shoulder ligaments when I crashed so luckily that meant I couldn’t do anything where i might be a danger to myself or anyone else. Definitely bin the helmet!

Also would you bin the helmet? It’s clearly taken a proper smack- just like my head!

Should be fine…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/yUKNX]Why you should wear a helmet![/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

I very much regret pushing to recover fast from a KO at a race (FOD mini enduro ’16 if anyone remembers).

I only took 1 week off work and that was NOT ENOUGH – I was saying words wrong and feeling the effects for at least a month after and I’m not sure I was right for much longer than that. I am sure I would have recovered better if I had taken another week away from work though.

TLDR Take it easy and don’t rush anything and even when you think you’re better, assume you’re wrong. And replace your helmet yes…

Unfortunately there isn’t a fast way to get over it. Currently 3 and a half years after my last concussion and still slowly on the mend.

This website may have tips http://www.headinjurysymptoms.org/

Personally looking back there are a lot of things I would do differently. Take time to recover, don’t rush back to work, limit screen time and personally I found darkened rooms help. Essentially trying to limit overloading the senses and let your brain settle and recover.
I could go on forever about it. Feel free to contact me if you need a chat.
100% replace the helmet

My helmet wasn’t smashed up other than visor, just signs of impact on the surface, despite serious concussion, smashed up face and fractured spine. Binned the helmet though. The poly stuff inside will have done its job and compacted.

Anyway, concussion itself led to talking gibberish at the time (more so than usual) and ending up with no memory of the event and day after, though partly down to hospital knocking me out. Dazed for a few days and loads of little aches and pains head wise for a couple of months.

Main thing though that dragged on was whiplash. That lasted for about a year before neck aches stopped. Sleeping especially was a problem.

Other thing I had for some time was very brief flashes of blue light in eyes. Weird. Went away eventually though still get a brief flash years later, but just a couple of times a year I notice it.

And yeah, if not gone to hospital, worth considering and definitely if you’re throwing up and have odd symptoms. Hopefully they’ll get a scan done.

Martin, get yourself properly rested up, head injuries are not to be messed with.

The bike and the mountains will still be there in weeks to come.

Take it easy

Stu

Getting over it, yes. Quick, no

My last concussion was just after they brought in newer, more stringent protocols. No screens of any kind for 2 weeks. No reading, driving at night, bright lights, quick movements, exercise, for 3. Brutal but far better than old-school treatments. (Painkillers for your 3 week headache.)

Thanks for all the advice!

I was at hospital for about 6 hours. I’ve got no memory from the corner before the crash to about 4h in.

Clearly I couldn’t spell last night!

Thanks for the helmet advice, I’ll let it go!

They did loads if xray and a scan and said I was fine before allowing me out. It was a 10 min walk back to the hotel and I’ve got almost no recollection of that, just some very weird bits.

I’m heading home from Canada today and due to be back at work on Monday.

I go see my doctor when I’m back and see what they say.

Cheers for the limiting screen time advice. I’ll do that as well.

My son has just had concussion for the second time. We have a friend who’s a nurse and is involved with rugby teams. She stressed that A&E drs and nurses can be a bit dismissive with concussion and said to lay it on thick so they would treat it seriously. Her advice was 2 weeks of complete rest and minimum 3 weeks before risking anything that could result in another injury, you make sure you are completely recovered before risking another impact.

Brother overshot a double and landed on his head from a good 15-20 foot up in the air, could not remember the crash, walked out of the forest with friends helping him but didn’t really know where he was – spent a night or two in hospital whilst they cleaned up all the other various injuries and kept an eye on him. It took him 6 months to recover (I think he had three months off work), whilst it effected him as a chef for a bit longer than that from what I gather.

Aftwerwards he grew a stringy goatee and got his ears repierced – make of that what you will 😀

Had two in the last 3-4 years. Take time off work and bin the helmet, take things easy longer than you think necessary. First one was in a lap XC race, don’t remember the crash or about 15 minutes afterwards, got back on the bike, started realising where I was and what had happenned half way through the next lap, rode very carefully through the rest of the lap to transition and stopped, saw first aide and got driven home. Had 3 days orr work, should have taken 1-2 weeks as I was not with it when I came back. Second one had much longer off as I also broke vertebrae and base of skull.. Don’t remember most a week in hospital and still a year later think it still has effects on me. Would rather never have another one. First one didn’t even hit the helmet as the blow was side and base of head, second one the helmet got binned, but had a big hole in it anyway

Had 3 days orr work

You might want to take a bit more, your speech is still slurred.