What is a concussion? A concussion is a head injury that changes the way your brain works. Most often this is due to temporary loss of consciousness due to a blow to the head. Suffering a traumatic blow to the head affects the brain. Since the brain is made up of soft tissue surrounded by the skull, the brain can be subjected to jolts to the point of displacement. What a concussion often does to the brain is “bruise” it or damage the nerves and vessels. The causes of concussions vary, but they usually result from a sport or an accident. Athletes have them more often. Treatments for concussions depend on their severity. The list of signs and symptoms is quite long; however, basic problems include: confusion, clumsiness, slurred speech, vomiting, headaches, blurred vision, behavioral changes, inability to concentrate, memory loss, etc. Medication is of course an obvious treatment for pain and headaches and if the concussion is severe medial attention is needed to monitor brain activity. Doctors suggest reducing any activity that requires careful thinking or any physical activity (such as sports). If a concussed person continues to play a physical sport, they are at risk of sustaining a second concussion. The physical therapist often suggests certain mental exercises to reduce dizziness and improve balance. Although some concussions do not noticeably affect the brain, a concussion changes the way the brain functions because it can have mental, physical, and emotional effects on the body. The types and severity of concussion are categorized by grades. There are three different levels of concussions. The first year is considered light. A mild concussion has symptoms that last only fifteen or twenty minutes and do not result in loss of consciousness. If the symptoms last between fifteen and twenty minutes, then anyone