During this three part series, we’ve covered the basics on fractures, road rash, and now concussions. Concussions are often referred to as Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI). While there are different levels of severity, even the mildest of concussions should be avoided. Not only is your brain getting beat up each time, you also become more vulnerable to further brain injury with each repeated concussion.

Inside the skull the brain is surrounded by what is called “cerebrospinal fluid.” This fluid acts as a cushion to protect the brain from low levels of trauma. It has it’s limits however, and if those limits are crossed the brain can be damaged. These limits can be crossed even without a direct blow to the head. If the body comes to a sudden and forceful stop, the brain might still get shook up regardless of where the impact occurred.

Symptoms vary from person to person. They can also vary depending on the severity of the injury. Some of the most common symptoms for mild concussions (though the same symptoms can be present in all levels of concussions) include: headache, nausea and sometimes vomiting, dizziness, and confusion. Momentary loss of consciousness sometimes occurs, along with that “whoa-what happened feeling.”

One should pay careful attention to his or her symptoms if a concussion is suspected. Regardless of the severity, you’ll need to rest. Your body is telling you through these symptoms that it’s extra fragile and that you need to take it easy. In most cases, more mountainboarding, is not the best idea.

More severe concussions can include symptoms such as these: loss of consciousness for over a couple minutes, waking up and then passing out again, an intense “I want to die” headache, your buddy saying, “dude, you hit really hard, I thought you died,” blurred or doubled vision, prolonged amnesia (you can’t remember what happened). The list goes on, the key is if you get up (or don’t get up), and you think to yourself, “Wow, I feel really messed up,” then you probably need to get some professional help.

If it is someone other than yourself that is down for the count, you can help my looking for certain symptoms that the victim won’t be aware of. If the guy is moving slowly, confused or kind of dazed, if he keeps repeating things even after receiving the answer, if his pupils aren’t equal (one is big and the other is small), basically if the guy is simply “not right,” then get him help. Keeping the person awake, contrary to popular belief is not necessary, all though it does make it easier to assess symptoms and vomit without choking.

Also a person who has been out cold for more than a couple of minutes shouldn’t be moved. Further injury could be caused and medical help should be called for as soon as possible.

As mentioned before, even the most mild concussion should be treated with care. Pay attention to the symptoms. Even if you feel okay, if your symptoms worsen you should get checked out my a professional.

So what’s the good news? The good news is that a great deal of mountainboadrd related concussions can be prevented by one simple piece of gear: your helmet. That cerebo-whatever fluid can only do so much. WEAR YOUR HELMET and make sure it fits, it can save your life, or at very least save you from a throbbing headache.