Why You Don’t Want to Play Through Head Pain

In this cautionary piece about the dangers of concussions, Dr. Daniel Amen, professor of psychiatry
and human behavior at the University of California-Irvine School of
Medicine, tells the Boston Globe that when it comes to injury, Americans care more about their faces, boobs, and butts than about our brains. And that’s supposed to surprise us? Whatever. Four pieces of good advice follow:
1) Wear a properly fitted helmet for sports
activities, including football, biking, wrestling, boxing, skiing,
snowboarding, ATV riding, or motorcycling
2) If
you suspect you have a concussion, get checked out by a doctor.
Sometimes, symptoms such as headaches, irritability, poor
concentration, sleep problems, and loss of taste and smell don’t begin
until some days after the injury.
3) Rest is the
best medicine. Talk to a doctor before taking any medication. For a
headache, take a mild analgesic such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, but
avoid aspirin, which may contribute to bleeding.
4) Take
it easy for several weeks after a concussion, until well after any
headaches, fatigue, nausea, impulsiveness, and crankiness have
disappeared. Once you have one concussion it takes less of an impact to
cause a second one, which is likely to be much more serious,
particularly in people under 20.