Are there cumulative effects of concussions?
“Yes, if the injury is not managed. If the patient is still not recovered from a first one and has a second event, the concussion is cumulative. If the patient is recovered from the first event, we’d like to think you’re going to have less severe outcomes with repetitive injuries.” Q: So if you have a second concussion, it’s not because you’re more prone to them after an initial one? A: “We don’t know entirely for sure, but we know the outcomes are better for patients who are deemed (recovered), vs. those who aren’t recovered and go back and have another one. With those who aren’t recovered totally, we know that less force is going to cause reinjury.” Q: Recent findings indicate concussions often go undiagnosed. Why? A: “It’s not overtly recognizable, even to the athlete, that these subtle symptoms may indicate a concussion has occurred. The main point is, if the athletes are having these symptoms and they’re not aware they are concussion symptoms and go back and get hit again, that’s
