Co-written by Gina Sacco, MPAS, PA-C
On Sunday, September 18th, the Philadelphia Eagles were in a gripping game against the Atlanta Falcons. During a routine play in the 3rd quarter, Vick was tackled and spun out by an opponent and collided with his teammate’s helmet. He slowly went to the sidelines and sat out for the rest of the game.
Because of the sudden blow to his head, he was thought to have a neck injury but it turned out to be a concussion. He was evaluated by a neurosurgeon and underwent several tests this week. He was cleared to return to practice. According to the Eagle’s official Facebook page, Vick is excited to play the NY Giants this Sunday.
Every year, millions of people have suffered from a head injury. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that may result in a bad headache, altered levels of alertness, or unconsciousness. It temporarily interferes with the way your brain works, and it can affect memory, judgment, reflexes, speech, balance, coordination, and sleep patterns. A CT scan is often used to detect brain injury after a concussion. Most of these injuries are minor because the skull provides the brain with considerable protection. The symptoms of minor head injuries usually go away on their own.
The Breakdown
More than half a million head injuries a year, however, are severe enough to require hospitalization. Symptoms of a concussion can range from mild to severe. In Vick’s case his symptoms were on the milder side. They can include: altered level of consciousness (drowsy, hard to arouse, or similar changes), confusion, feeling spacey, or not thinking straight, headache, loss of consciousness, memory loss (amnesia) of events before the injury or immediately after nausea and vomiting, seeing flashing lights, or feeling like you have “lost time”.
Recovering from a concussion takes time, even up to a month. Luckily for Vick, on Sunday he will return to play against the NY Giants!
