Source: everydayhealth.com | Repost Duerson Fund 4/10/2023 –
While most people with a concussion should be treated by a neurologist, sometimes you may need a cardiologist instead.
Concussions are relatively common, especially if you are an athlete or otherwise participate in rigorous activity. Between 1.7 and 3 million sports- and recreation-related concussions happen each year, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
Hundreds of thousands of concussions come from football alone, and 20 percent of high school athletes who play contact sports like soccer and lacrosse will experience a concussion this year. Yet half of all concussion cases go unreported or undetected, UPMC found.
For those who get help, it is recommended to start with their regular doctor and then seek advanced help if needed.
“If it’s a sports-related injury, they may go to a sports medicine person or a person’s primary care doctor,” says Lili Ayala Barouch, MD, the director of the sports cardiology program at John Hopkin’s Medicine in Columbia, Maryland. “If it’s severe, they would normally see a neurologist.”