Headache when heading the ball

Maybe you just have a soft head? Try seeing if you can make indentations by firmly pressing the tips of your fingers into your forehead. If there is too much give, I'd recommend taking up chess as a hobby.

 

First post read both carefully

"These are tests that a coach should give a player after any kind of head injury. The player saying he or she is okay is not good enough.
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Immediate past memory test - Ask them to describe what just occurred in the game before the hit. If they don't remember, they fail.

Current thinking test - older players have them count backwards by 7s. Younger players just count backwards. If they cannot, they fail.

Ability to retain new memories - Ask them to remember 3 random words (e.g., apple, car, Cleveland). If they cannot, they fail.

Exercise test - If they cannot do 5 pushups without feeling
woozy, then they are out for the game.
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Each year, several players in various
sports die after second-impact concussions. The second-impact doesn't have to be the same day, or even the same week. Apparently, as long as the player has symptoms there is still some brain injury which needs healing. So there is a danger of making the condition worse if they get another head injury after the first.
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Watch out for nausea, dizziness, ringing in the ears, headaches, confusion, sensitivity to light, erratic behavior or there vision changes in some other way. They should see a doctor and or neurologist, maybe even a trip to emergency on a knock out injury for a catscan to check for bleeding under the skull which can kill you"

Last post was in answer to this post.

"Concussions are often brushed aside in athletics as trivial and players are often encouraged to push through the symptoms. This attitude is slowly changing as concussions are becoming more fully understood, and screen/evaluation tools are becoming more widely used.

A concussion is an alteration in mental status caused by a traumatic force to the brain which may or may not cause a loss of consciousness. The early symptoms include: headache, impaired attention, speech problems, incoordination, disorientation, memory problems (retro/antro grade amnesia), and any LOC. Later symptoms can include: dizziness, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), sleep disturbances. Pupil reaction/size is rarely indicative of a concussion although if the pupils are different sizes this is indicative of a more serious brain injury. Second impact syndrome occurs when multiple concussions occur within a short period of time. It is caused by swelling of the brain which results in a great increase in intercranial pressure. This is the main reason that concussions must be so closely monitored.

Early recognition/assesment of concussions is essential. Headaches are normally the most reported symptoms. What Nick Laino outlined is good for a quick assessment suitable for the sidelines by a non-medical personnel. I would make one change, exercise testing is the last thing done and is only done if all the other things are normal. Push-ups are okay, but sit ups are better. The goal with exercise testing is to mimic the valsalva maneuver which increases intercranial pressure. Sprints and other types of running are not used as they actually lower the ICP and will decrease the symptoms. As an ATC I use both the SAC and IMPACT tests. The SAC test is a quick test that assigns an objective value to the symptoms. This is used on the sidelines, while the IMPACT is used to determine when it is safe to return the athlete to play.

Both tests are also used as pre-season screening tests. This will establish a baseline value which can be used to compare to the post-injury test to determine the relative severity of the concussion.

In terms of returning to play, it is based on the symptoms. If the symptoms resolve within 15 minutes the symptoms do not return with exertional testing, and their SAC scores are within 1 point of their baseline they can return to the game. If the symptoms persist for longer than 15 minutes they are not allowed to return and are evaluate the next day. If any LOC occurs they must be cleared to participate by a doctor. Bear in mind that these are guidelines used by doctors and ATCS alike and should not be implemented by someone without medical training. Generally, if a concussion occurs and medical personnel are not immediately available it is better to error on the side of caution and require a doctors release. This is often required in the case of high school teams depending on the school's specific guidelines.

College Doctor is not a neurologist!