Myth: Someone suffering a concussion should be awakened repeatedly.
Fact: Sleeping is the best thing for the injured person, so do not disturb. Getting physical and mental rest aids recovery.
Myth: Contact sports are the only ones that put athletes at risk of concussion.
Fact: Concussions can occur in any sport or recreational activity. If there is a violent movement or blow to the head or body that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull, it can cause a concussion, according to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
Myth: A normal CT scan can rule out a concussion.
Fact: A CT scan detects structural injury and won't pick up a concussion, according to Ithaca College Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences.
Myth: You must lose consciousness or black out to have a concussion.
Fact: Only a small number of concussions involve loss of consciousness.
Myth: The harder someone is hit, the worse the concussion.
Fact: It doesn't always take a big hit to produce a concussion. Any contact to the head or body that causes rapid head movement can cause a concussion. For football players multiple lower impact hits in one game, or over time, might have more serious effects than a single high-impact collision, say experts reporting in Science News.
Myth: The effects of a concussion are short-lived.
Fact: Concussions can cause cumulative damage to neurons and structural damage to the brain, both of which can cause long-term effects.
