As mentioned in The Most Common Football Injuries, football players take the risk of being injured. During this series, I will dive into how to recover from the most common injuries. First injury to cover, concussions. Concussions are a traumatic impact on your brain that can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, drowsiness, and more. Recovery typically takes between 7 to 10 days but if you do not take the recovery process seriously, it could take longer.
Avoid Bright Lights and Screens
After obtaining a concussion, you are most likely to experience some sensitivity to bright lights. Looking at bright lights can strain your eyes which can cause symptoms of a concussion to worsen. Limit the time you spend on your phone, watching television, and browsing the web. Being on your device for too long could cause your headaches to increase.
Avoid Strenuous Activities
Your brain has just gone through a traumatic impact, you will want to limit any unnecessary movement of your head and neck. Motions that can jostle your head around could decrease the chance of your brain recovering. You want to avoid any sports, lifting heavy objects, and excessive physical activity for a few weeks. Start out by doing light activity a couple days after the injury such as walking. Once you are able to do activities without aggravating the symptoms, you can start to increase your performance level once again.
Rest
You are going to want to give your brain a break. It has just suffered an agonizing injury. Not doing too much too fast is the best route to go when recovering from a concussion. You want to make sure you are getting a good night sleep and giving your brain the time it needs to rest. You will start reducing your stress levels which will then give your body the opportunity to heal itself.
It is important during this recovery time to follow your doctor’s instructions. They may give more or different recovery tips. It is best to do what the doctor says to ensure you fully recover. If you are not sure you have suffered a concussion, consult your doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any symptoms. Stay tuned for the next blog in the Recovering From Injuries series!