10 Reasons to Use an Emergency Room for Concussion Assessment
A concussion is basically a traumatic brain injury that is as a result of a violent blow to the head. Cases of concussion are usually as a result of falls from high distances, knocks to the head during a car accident, knocks to the head when playing sports, especially contact sports such as football, soccer, hockey and many others, among many other situations. Not all concussions are made equal as they are divided into three main categories. These are mild, moderate and severe concussions, each one more severe than the previous one. While mild cases of concussion can be handled at home, with home remedies such as rest and over-the-counter medication, moderate to severe concussions require to be attended to, with severe concussion being potentially life-threatening if not attended to; this is where emergency rooms come in. There are a number of reasons to use an emergency room for concussion assessment and this article will look to highlight 10 of these reasons.
- One of the main reasons to use an emergency room for concussion assessment is due to the fact that the physicians and staff in there have got the knowledge and experience to carry out initial neurological tests so as to be able to ascertain and rule in or out a concussion as well as establishing the level of severity of the same. This means that physicians and staff there are able to tell if one is suffering from a concussion and the severity levels just by carrying out these neurological tests as well as through observation.
- Over and above using neurological tests and observation, the fact that emergency rooms have got all the necessary imaging diagnostic equipment, as well as the expertise to use them and analysts to analyze the results quickly, as is the case over at frontlineer.com, is yet another reason to use them for concussion assessment. Examples of these diagnostic equipment include CT scans as well as MRIs which all come in handy in diagnosing concussions. These scans don’t diagnose concussions per se, they check for structural injuries to the brain, a sign of traumatic brain injuries. As such they help rule out concussions.
- Another reason to use an emergency room for concussion assessment is because there you will find the facilities and tools as well as the expertise for sedation in severe cases of concussion. Severe cases of concussions may come with some very sinister symptoms such as severe agitation which may cause intracranial pressure and as such sedation may be required. As such an emergency room is your only bet for such instances.
- Yet another reason to use an emergency room for concussion assessment is so as to prevent second impact syndrome, something that is covered in detail over at frontlineer.com. If one suffers a second head injury after having suffered initial concussion, then things could get serious pretty quickly with such a situation coming with an increased risk of diffuse cerebral edema. Using an emergency room allows you to get assessed and attended to and as such prevent such a situation from ensuing.
- Other than the above situation, using an emergency room for concussion assessment also helps prevent post-concussion syndrome, which is a situation where one suffers from concussion symptoms for weeks and even months after suffering from the initial concussion. Using an emergency will come in handy in helping prevent such consequences.
- Another reason to use an emergency room for concussion assessment is due to the fact that in there you will have access to specialists when and if you need them. Depending on the severity of your situation, you may need to be assessed by specialists such as neurologists, neurosurgeons and other physicians specializing in brain disorders, all of which are found over at the excellent frontlineer.com. Such specialists can’t be accessed in the other treatment facilities such as urgent care clinics hence why you should use an emergency room.
- Another reason to use an emergency room for concussion assessment is because in an emergency room there are facilities as well as the personnel in case hospitalization is required. If your situation is severe, then the physician may deem it fit to keep you around for close monitoring. In an emergency room there are equipment to help with monitoring, especially of your vital signs, that will allow you to stabilized and then discharged when conditions are right.
- Emergency rooms also have the requisite personnel and facilities to handle children making them an excellent place to go to for concussion assessment. As is explained in detail over frontlineer.com, a significant amount of the cases of concussion are seen in children as they are the ones that are the most active especially when you consider majority of them take part in school sports or are likely to suffer falls. Emergency rooms are well equipped to handle cases of concussion in children of all age groups.
- Another reason why you should use an emergency room for concussion assessment is due to the expertise and experience the physicians there have in providing education, which is perhaps the biggest modes of treatment as far as concussions go. Emergency room staff will give you all the necessary information and literature on concussions to help you deal with your concussion and prevent future injuries.
- Yet another reason to use an emergency room for concussion assessment is due to the fact that the physicians there have the knowledge that will help in advising you as far as the gradual return to activity is concerned. You will be advised on how long you need to rest and given a schedule on how you should slowly return to activity and if you play sports, how you should look to slowly return to training and eventually playing.
The above are 10 reasons why you should use an emergency room, such as the excellent frontlineer.com, for concussion assessment and we hope it will be of great help to you.