Three Ways an Athlete Can Treat Concussion Headaches
Concussions are a part of playing sports, especially if an athlete is involved in football, and the concussions can cause serious health problems. Concussions might be hard to detect, especially if an athlete hides the ailment from a coach or doctor, even though this could put his or her athletic future at risk. There are a lot of medical problems that an athlete might suffer from after a concussion, and headaches are the most common.
Here are three ways that an athlete can treat headaches due to a recent concussion, which will help prevent other post-concussion related ailments.
Limit Light and Noise
One way that an athlete can treat post-concussion related headaches is to limit the amount of light and noise within his or her environment. Light and noise are common triggers for post-concussion headaches, and can greatly increase the severity of the headaches. For the first few days after the concussion, an athlete should cover up all of the windows in his or her environment, and be sure to limit noise around him or her. An athlete might consider leaving the television off for a few days, avoid putting on headphones, and avoid being in an environment where noise is a significant factor. An athlete should keep everything as calm and dark as possible, which can help alleviate the headache symptoms, and can also prevent an increase in the frequency of the headaches.
Drink Plenty of Fluids
An athlete suffering from post-concussion headaches should also treat the headaches by staying hydrated during the recovery period. An athlete will want to maintain drinking plenty of water and nutritional supplements after a concussion, because fluids can help decrease the intensity of the post-concussion headaches. If an athlete does not drink enough fluids, he or she will become dehydrated fairly quickly, which can worsen the headaches, and also create more severe health problems. An athlete will want to keep a bottle of water with him or her at all times, and sip on it a little at a time, even if he or she does not feel thirsty. After an injury, especially a concussion, it is important to maintain hydration within the body, in order to help the healing process along.
Seek Medical Attention Regardless of Circumstance
An athlete might feel like he or she can take care of the concussion headaches on his or her own, but this is never a good idea, and it can lead to serious medical problems. Whenever a concussion occurs, even before the headaches begin, an athlete should seek medical attention right away. In order to treat the post-concussion headaches properly, an athlete will need to seek medical advice, to make sure that no other damage was done to the body or brain. An athlete also will likely need pain medications to relieve the throbbing sensations that occur with post-concussion headaches, which is only something a doctor can prescribe. It is also important to seek medical attention because an athlete might take the wrong type of medication for the headaches, which can lead to an increase in the severity or frequency of the headaches, and can cause more significant health problems. Treating the post-concussion headaches will vary from person to person, so an athlete should seek medical attention immediately, in order to find the right treatment options for his or her situation. Not to mention that if an athlete treats the headaches alone, this could cause him or her to not notice any cognitive changes that might have occurred, as the result of the headaches.
Jeanne Rose worked as a dietary clerk in a hospital for three years, went to vocational school for Allied Health, and obtained certification in nurse assisting.
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