Signs (Objective, Measurable effects)

• Grabbing Head
• Vomiting
• “Unsteady” on Feet
• Unequal Pupils
• Unconsciousness
• Irritability
• Personality Changes
• Memory Loss
• Amnesia

Symptoms (Subjective, Reported effects)

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Tinnitus (ringing in ears)
• Vision Disturbance
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Memory Loss
• Feeling “Foggy”
• Poor Concentration
• Sleep Disturbances

It is important to remember that this is not an ALL-INCLUSIVE list.  Any disorders with normal activity associated with the brain should be considered symptoms.

A good example is a case that I had a few years back with a high school athlete.  His normal demeanor was that of a “class clown”, funny, outgoing, and over the top.  After a head injury he became reserved, serious, withheld from activity and people.  Obviously serious changes in the overall health of the individual, only observed by me and his family.

Also with school aged kids a slip in grades is a huge indicator and one that not only parents and athletic trainers should be aware of, but school teachers and administrators should be clued in to.