You thought you were fine after hitting your head during the slip and fall accident at a Jackson Ward grocery store. The emergency room doctor said it was "just a concussion" and sent you home with instructions to rest. Weeks later, though, you still struggle with headaches, memory problems, and difficulty concentrating at work. Meanwhile, your friend recovered completely from a similar head injury in just a few days.
We understand how frustrating it can be when insurance companies try to minimize concussion injuries. Our Virginia brain injury lawyers have seen firsthand how seemingly minor head impacts can cause devastating, long-term consequences for some people while others recover quickly. The science behind why concussions affect people differently provides crucial evidence in personal injury cases.
Individual Factors That Influence Concussion Severity
Not everyone responds to a traumatic brain injury in the same way. Research published in the Journal of Neurotrauma shows that age, genetics, and pre-existing conditions significantly impact how severely a concussion affects someone and how long recovery takes.
Age
Older adults typically experience more severe symptoms and longer recovery times from concussions. Adults over 65 are at higher risk for complications because aging brains are less resilient and take longer to heal. A 70-year-old who falls and hits their head may struggle with symptoms for months, while a 25-year-old with an identical brain injury might recover in weeks.
Gender
Gender also plays a role in concussion outcomes. Studies from Johns Hopkins Medicine indicate that women often experience more severe symptoms and longer recovery periods than men after similar head injuries. Hormonal differences and variations in neck strength may contribute to these differences.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Pre-existing medical conditions can worsen concussion symptoms significantly. Individuals with previous depression, anxiety, ADHD, or learning disabilities often face more challenging recoveries. Someone with a history of migraines may find that a concussion triggers more frequent and severe headaches that persist for months.
The Mechanism of Injury Makes a Difference
How your head gets injured matters just as much as how hard it gets hit. Rotational forces often cause more severe brain damage than direct impacts because they create more widespread damage to brain tissue.
Consider someone who falls straight back and hits the back of their head on concrete. The brain moves forward and backward, potentially causing damage to the frontal and occipital lobes. In contrast, picture someone whose head snaps sideways during a truck accident. This rotational movement can tear nerve fibers throughout the brain, often resulting in more severe and lasting symptoms.
The speed of the impact also affects injury severity. A sudden stop during a car crash can cause more damage than a slower fall, even if the final force is similar. The brain continues moving inside the skull when the head stops suddenly, creating what doctors call coup-contrecoup injuries where the brain hits both sides of the skull.
Multiple Concussions Create Cumulative Damage
Having one concussion increases your risk of suffering more severe symptoms and prolonged recovery from future head injuries. Multiple concussions can make the brain more vulnerable to future damage. Think of it like repeatedly bending a piece of metal. Eventually, it becomes weaker and breaks more easily. The brain tissue doesn't always return to its pre-injury strength, leaving it susceptible to greater damage from seemingly minor impacts.
Research shows that individuals with multiple concussions are more likely to develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other long-term neurological problems. A person who suffered concussions playing high school football may experience more severe symptoms from a workplace head injury decades later.
The timing between multiple concussions matters tremendously. Someone who suffers a second concussion while still recovering from the first faces what doctors call "second impact syndrome," which can be life-threatening. Even years later, the cumulative effects of multiple brain injuries can result in more severe symptoms and longer recovery times.
Why Some Concussion Symptoms Persist for Months
Post-concussion syndrome affects approximately 10 to 20% of concussion patients, according to research published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. These individuals continue experiencing symptoms like headaches, dizziness, memory problems, and mood changes for months or even years after their injury.
The exact mechanisms behind persistent symptoms remain under investigation, but studies suggest that ongoing inflammation in the brain may prevent normal healing. Some people's immune systems respond more aggressively to brain injury, creating chronic inflammation that perpetuates symptoms long after the initial trauma.
Sleep disturbances commonly follow concussions and can significantly slow recovery. When the brain can't get restorative sleep, it struggles to heal properly. This creates a cycle where poor sleep worsens concussion symptoms, which makes it harder to sleep well.
Building a Strong Case for Your Virginia Concussion Claim
Virginia's contributory negligence law can make concussion cases particularly challenging. However, the severity and persistence of your concussion symptoms can strengthen your case by demonstrating the significant impact of the defendant's negligence.
Medical Evidence
Insurance companies often try to minimize concussion claims by arguing that the symptoms should have resolved quickly. Understanding why your specific concussion caused more severe or lasting problems helps counter these arguments. Medical evidence can illustrate how factors like age, previous injuries, or the mechanism of injury explain why your recovery differs from other TBI cases.
Expert Testimony
Virginia courts recognize that concussion symptoms can be invisible but still devastating. Expert medical testimony explaining why some concussions cause more severe problems than others becomes crucial in proving the full extent of your damages.
Neuropsychological Testing
Neuropsychological testing can objectively document cognitive problems that might not be apparent in standard medical exams. These tests measure memory, concentration, and processing speed, providing concrete evidence of how your concussion affects your daily functioning.