Purpose of the review: A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that results in a change in how a person feels or functions after a force transmitted to the head. Nearly 10% of all sports-related injuries are mild traumatic brain injuries. Concussion/mTBIs have accounted for more than 3 million emergency department visits between 2005 and 2009 and present as an important public health concern.
Recent findings: Physical, cognitive, and psychological functioning are known to be affected by concussion/mTBI, and various tools are readily available to guide clinicians through the initial evaluation. Evaluation of patients with concussion/mTBI should include symptom report and balance, vestibular-ocular, and neurocognitive testing. Awareness of past medical history and pre-injury history of social, behavioral, and emotional functioning is essential to better understand the injury and to predict the expected course of recovery. No tool available can be used alone to diagnose concussion/mTBI or evaluate for recovery.
Keywords: Concussion; Concussion evaluation; Mild traumatic brain injury; Post-concussion symptoms; Sideline concussion testing.