Health Tip: Protect Your Head After Concussion

Avoid activities that could lead to additional injury

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(HealthDay News) -- A sudden and forceful impact to the head can cause the brain to slosh around inside the skull. This can injure the brain, including blood vessels and nerves. When the injury leads to a temporary loss of normal brain function, it's called a concussion.

Symptoms may include: poor memory, headaches, dizziness and irritability.

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After a concussion, protection of the head is crucial to preventing additional injury.

Most people with a new concussion will need to wait at least several weeks before resuming normal activities, says the Nemours Foundation.

Your doctor can tell you when it's safe to resume sports or normal exercise, the foundation says. Depending on the person and severity of the injury, some people will take longer to recover, and may require rehabilitation.

-- Diana Kohnle