It's National Concussion Awareness Week, and the Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia is spreading the word. "A lot of people who are suffering with concussions aren't getting a lot of awareness or empathy from people around them. They're not understanding the intricacies of their concussion recovery.
They can't see the symptoms like you can a broken arm or a bruise on your leg," said Sam Clarke with the Brain Injury Association. According to the association, 35,000 Nova Scotians suffer concussions annually. "Often people aren't aware they're suffering a concussion because their symptoms they're not aware of beyond just having a headache, and so we have people coming to us three, five, 10 years later saying, 'I had no idea my anxiety or my balance problems are connected to my concussion that I suffered,'" said Clarke.
While no two concussions are the same, some of the common symptoms include: Clarke said recovery is critical. "If you don't get that rest within the first 48 hours of your concussion and you don't start gradually introducing activities, and instead just try to jump right back into normal life right away, it's not going to allow that neuroplasticity time to work and for your brain to properly heal," said Clarke. The association said 50 per cent of concussions in youths 12 and under are from sports or physical activity.
Across all ages, sports and physical activity account for approximately 24 per cent of concussions while tripping or falling while walking also.
