Health Beat - Fall 2016 - 8

Concussions
But you can bounce back,
like this local student-athlete

eventeen-year-old Adrienne Pohl is an active high
school student with a bubbly personality. From sports
to honors to music, she's involved in many activities
at Southeast of Saline High School and in her community. It's no wonder that she was frustrated when those
activities came to a halt. Adrienne suffered a concussion
when a weighted ball rattled her brain during a strength and
conditioning class.
"It was a 10-pound medicine ball," Adrienne says. "We were
chest-passing with the medicine ball, and on one of the passes
it smacked me in the head."
Those who were with her later reported that she looked
fine and even finished class by running two laps around the
track. After school, Adrienne attended a basketball meeting,
where she laid on the bench with a headache. On the way to
golf practice that evening, her twin brother, Alan, noticed his
sister's unusual behavior and called their mom.
"He said, 'I think she has a concussion,'" recalls Adrienne's
mother, Ingrid.
Adrienne had been recovering from an ACL sprain and
was busy with school and extracurricular activities, so her
mom wasn't convinced that the fatigue had to do with a
brain injury until she witnessed Adrienne's behavior.
"It was like slow motion for her to process things," Ingrid
says. "She really had to think before responding."
When Adrienne began vomiting, her mom took her to the
emergency department at Salina Regional Health Center,
where doctors ordered a CT scan of her head. There was no
internal bleeding, but based on her symptoms it was clear
that Adrienne had a concussion. The ER doctor sent Adrienne
home and told her to rest and schedule a follow-up visit with
Brian Harvey, a pediatrician at Salina Pediatric Care.

What Is a Concussion?

Adrienne
Pohl was back
to playing
basketball at
Southeast of
Saline High
School one
month after a
concussion.

srhc.com

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a blow
or jarring to the head. The brain is soft and fragile, like gelatin, and surrounded by fluid, which acts as a cushion during
everyday movements. Jarring the head displaces the brain,
causing it to hit against the skull. This impact can damage tissue and tear or stretch brain nerves. The damage interrupts
signals normally sent between the brain and the body, which
accounts for concussive symptoms. As in Adrienne's situation,
loss of consciousness does not have to occur for an injury to
be labeled a concussion.

http://www.srhc.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Health Beat - Fall 2016