The ‘concussive’ side of motor vehicle collisions are becoming more identified with the advances in our understanding of concussion type injuries. There are numerous scientific studies that have shown that concussions can occur at virtually any speed and size of collision. Particularly with rear-end type accidents, it is common for your head to be thrown forward and then backwards against the head restraint in your car.
Your brain (which is made up of ‘soft tissue’) moves forward and backwards within your skull (which is hard bone) and strikes against the skull. These actions are what cause a concussion to your brain. It is not necessary for you to lose consciousness in order for you to suffer from a concussion. Some concussions cause you to lose consciousness, but most do not. It is possible (and common) for you to have a concussion and not even realize it. Concussions are, by definition, a brain injury. The signs and symptoms of a concussion may be subtle and may not show up immediately – there may be more urgent symptoms that you suffer from immediately following the collision that take up your main focus (such as a painful neck or back). Concussion symptoms include headache, loss of memory (usually short term memory), feeling of ‘fogginess’, nausea, ringing in your ears (which may also be from an injury to the soft-tissue joints in your jaw), delayed response to questions, and fatigue.