Concussion Series Part 7
Can we predict recovery from concussion?
We know that you do not have to lose consciousness to sustain a concussion, and loss of consciousness also has no bearing on recovery and DOES NOT predict the severity of the injury.
Other than this, we know that the STRONGEST and most CONSISTENT predictor of slower recovery from concussion is the SEVERITY of the persons initial symptoms at first onset and in the first couple of days.
So having a LOW LEVEL of symptoms in the first day after injury is a FAVOURABLE PROGNOSTIC FACTOR.
If symptoms linger… Post concussion syndrome (PCS) is defined as having 3 or more symptoms that last for GREATER THAN 4 WEEKS post injury.
Statistics have shown us that roughly 30-40% of all concussion patients will continue to have prolonged symptoms beyond the 4 week period. And pre-existing conditions such as anxiety and depression can have an impact on delayed recovery.
