NFL Health Playbook will feature a guest columnist every Wednesday, each with a different viewpoint of player health and safety from the youth level to pro Tim Hardaway Jersey football.By Dr. Joseph F. Waeckerle, NFL Evolution columnistA concu sion is a brain injury caused by direct or indirect trauma to the head. Concu sions can be caused by a wide range of traumatic incidents, which could include falls, auto and pedestrian accidents, recreational and sports injuries and altercations.The actual number of concu sions that occur in the U.S. each year isn't known. There are about 2.5 million people who go to the emergency room each year to be evaluated for a head injury. However, health authorities think that it is po sible that three to five times as many people actually suffer a concu sion but don't report it or seek care. Some people don't understand the significance of the injury and want to simply "tough it out." Some believe they will get better without care and some have difficulty getting acce s to medical a sistance for a variety of reasons. Health profe sionals are now, Duncan Robinson Jersey more than ever, aware of the gravity of concu sions but diagnosis and management remains a challenge.Concu sions are different in each person. Just like each human is unique, a concu sion is different in each person who suffers one. While there are general symptoms that suggest a concu sion, there is "individual variability" in the presentation of the injury. The trauma that causes a concu sion affects the brain cells and thus brain function. While health Max Strus Jersey care profe sionals ask patients with suspected concu sions about their symptoms, they also perform a complete exam evaluating four major neurological areas:-- The history and mechanism of injury with a sociated symptoms-- Physical exam including a detailed neurological exam-- Balance testing (Modified Balance Error Scoring System Test)-- Cognitive testingThe optimal concu sion exam aids the knowledgeable and experienced health care profe sional in concluding that a person has suffered a concu sion. There is no specific test that absolutely diagnoses a concu sion with absolute reliability. In other words, there is no "gold standard" Josh Richardson Jersey when it comes to diagnosis. It is made by the summary findings of a concu sion evaluation consisting of a neurological exam and any other appropriate tests.Concluding that an individual has suffered from a concu sion is therefore based on "clinical criteria," so it is a criteria-based diagnosis made by a health care profe sional knowledgeable and experienced in concu sion care. Unfortunately, there can be short-term and long-term complications from concu sions if proper care is not obtained and maintained. Seeking a health care profe sional competent in concu sion care after suffering a head injury is very important.Dr. Joseph F. Waeckerle is clinical profe sor of emergency medicine at the University of Mi souri-Kansas City School of Medicine. He also is editor emeritus of Annals of Emergency Medicine. He has practiced Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine and has been a team Shaquille O'Neal Jersey physician at the grade school, high school, college, and profe sion level for over 30 years. He currently serves on the NFL Head, Neck, and Spine Injury Committee and the Mackey White Brain Injury Committee of the NFL Players A sociation.