00:00What exactly happens to the brain during a concussion?
00:03And does a player have to lose consciousness in order to have one?
00:06They definitely don't have to lose consciousness.
00:08Less than 10% of concussions have some level of loss of consciousness when they occur.
00:13So really what happens is the player or the athlete takes a hit to the head or neck area
00:18and you get this rapid acceleration of the brain
00:21and it either can hit kind of the inside of your skull or just kind of move really quickly.
00:25And this disrupts or stretches the neurons and leads to this kind of chemical and electrical imbalance within the brain
00:32that then has cascade effects that cause this kind of energy crisis or energy imbalance within the brain.
00:38And then you start to have all the symptoms that kind of go along with the concussion after this.
00:42There's been a tough it out mentality that's always existed around the sport of football.
00:47What are the risks of returning before concussion has resolved?
00:51And what should be the message to athletes who might hesitate to report symptoms because they don't want to miss
00:56a game?
00:57What are the risks and what do you think athletes should know about why it's important to report those symptoms?
01:02For sure.
01:03And I always explain to athletes that this is one of those injuries that you can't just muscle through.
01:07You can't really tough it out.
01:09One, because if you're not ready to return to play and you're not reacting appropriately,
01:15you may put yourself at risk for a different type of injury or a worse type of injury.
01:18And then specifically in the concussion part of it, you can prolong your symptoms and make recovery down the line
01:24even worse.
01:25Again, I always tell them to kind of be honest about their symptoms and really report when they're feeling better
01:30or if they start to notice anything.
