Hard Knocks

How to spot, and recover from, a concussion

- Anna Sharratt

SUMMER IS THE season for hiking, bike rides and playing sports outdoors. Unfortunately, it’s also the season of concussions.

More than just a superficial head wound, a concussion is an injury that occurs when a person suffers a bump, jolt or blow that causes the brain to bounce around within the skull, where it is suspended in cerebrospinal fluid. According to a 2017 report in The Lancet, 30 to 50 million people suffer from concussions and other traumatic brain injuries every year, and falls are the most common cause.