A concussion can happen to anyone. A car accident, sports injury, or any impact to the head can create a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). A sudden impact to the skull or a violent jerk to one side overwhelms the protective capabilities of the fluid surrounding the brain. The resultant force causes the brain to make contact with the skull, initiating swelling and bruising of sensitive brain tissue.
All concussions should be treated as severe brain injuries and require immediate medical attention. If left untreated, the symptoms of a concussion can escalate to a point where they create permanent neurological and physiological disorders.
Common symptoms of concussion can last for days or weeks and include; Dizziness, nausea, discoordination, and headaches. However, not all of the symptoms are as obvious to identify.
Here are 8 bizarre signs of a concussion that you might miss. If you or anyone you know is displaying these symptoms after receiving a head injury, make sure they see a doctor as soon as possible.
1. Personality Changes
Why don’t I like Ketchup anymore?
The frontal lobes of the brain hold our personality. Severe head trauma and mTBI resulting in concussion can damage this sensitive area of the brain. Disliking tastes or smells that you used to enjoy before your injury are examples of minor changes.
However, it is possible to experience significant changes in your personality as well. Losing your sense of humor or your ability to contribute to conversations are serious alterations that could have a permanent effect.
CT or MRI scans will not be able to show the reason for the personality shift. Damaging the frontal lobes with a mTBI can have similar effects to the lobotomies practiced in the 1960’s, where a sharp instrument was used to penetrate the ocular or nasal cavity destroying the frontal lobes along with the seat of consciousness. Patients were shells of their former selves after undergoing the procedure.
