What Is a Concussion? How Doctors Define It
In this video, Steven Flanagan, MD, explains how doctors define a concussion and what makes it different than a severe traumatic brain injury.
While many people can recognize a concussion when they see it, it can actually be a challenge to define exactly. That’s partially because a concussion is another name for a “mild” traumatic brain injury (TBI) — and it’s not always easy to determine what counts as mild.
“There are a lot of definitions of what a concussion is. It's kind of mind-boggling; it sort of adds to the confusion of what concussion is,” says Steven Flanagan, MD, chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Health.
- Steven Flanagan, MDDr. Flanagan is the chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Health. He specializes in brain injury rehabilitation.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Moderate and severe TBI.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Symptoms of mild TBI and concussion.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Traumatic brain injury & concussion.
Evans, R.W., et al. (2022). Acute mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) in adults. UpToDate.