• Skip to main content
  • Skip to navigation
  • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
Government of Western Australia Crest
Government of Western Australia
Government of Western Australia Crest

Additional Menu

  • Accessibility
  • Contact us
Go to WA Government search
  • About us
    • Contact us
      • Compliments, complaints and suggestions
    • Provide Feedback
    • WA Health Staff Booster Vax
    • Health Service Board
    • Executive
    • Vision, Mission and Values
    • Strategic Planning
    • Work with us
      • Vacancies
      • Career opportunities
      • Pay and benefits
      • How to join us
      • Mental Health Transition to Practice Program
      • Pathways to working with us
      • Diversity and inclusion
      • Volunteering
    • Annual Reports
    • Freedom of Information
    • Governance
  • Hospitals and Services
    • Hospitals
      • Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
      • Osborne Park Hospital
      • King Edward Memorial Hospital
      • Graylands Hospital
      • Joondalup Health Campus
    • Mental Health
      • Community Adult Mental Health
      • Inpatient Adult Mental Health
      • Mental Health Specialties
    • Public Health
      • Aboriginal Health
      • DonateLife
      • Health Promotion
      • Humanitarian Entrant Health Service
      • Infection Prevention and Control
      • Metropolitan Communicable Disease Control
      • State Head Injury Unit
      • WA Tuberculosis Control Program
    • Dental Health Services
    • Services
      • Elective surgery
      • Emergency Departments
      • Maternity Services
      • WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network Clinical Implementation Unit
      • Video Consultation
    • Voluntary Assisted Dying
  • Patient Care
    • Safety and Quality
      • Patient safety
      • Quality of care
      • Maintaining high standards of healthcare
      • Engaging with our consumers
    • Manage My Care
    • Patient rights and responsibilities
    • Stories from our patients
    • Partnering with Consumers
      • Consumer Advisory Councils
      • Engagement
      • Volunteering
    • Choose Wisely
    • Disability Access and Inclusion Plan
    • Patient resources
    • Aishwaryas CARE Call
  • Health Professionals
    • Referring Patients
    • COVID information for NMHS staff
      • Staff Exposures and Absences Form
      • Register your positive RAT result
      • WA Health Staff Booster Vax
      • GP information for COVID-19 positive patients
    • GP Liaison
    • Staff policies
    • Library and Information Service
    • CADD Standards
  • Research
    • About our research
    • Research ethics and governance
    • NMHS Research Strategy
    • Research news
    • Why undertake research
    • Current research
    • Research partners
  • Latest News
    • Thanks to our staff
    • Provide Feedback
    • Stories from our patients
  1. Home
  2. Hospitals and Services
  3. Public Health
  4. Head Injury
  5. Concussion

Concussion

Using Website: The top menu bar will only take you back within the North Metro Health web site, it is not related to concussion management.

Concussion

  • Learn about the early symptoms of concussion including stages 1-3 of management and recovery.
  • Learn about persistent concussion symptoms that can impact longer-term function and about stage 4 of management and recovery.
  • View a range of post-concussion stories as people share their different journeys of recovery.
  • Health professionals that can assist recovery from more complex concussion as well as other related symptoms following head and neck trauma.
  • For health professionals that deal with clients that present with acute or persistent post-concussion symptoms.
  • Further information about concussion.

What is concussion?

Concussion or mild head injury (PDF) is a complex process affecting the brain, due to traumatic mechanical forces within the body. It is not whiplash, migraine or vestibular dysfunction although you can suffer these injuries alongside a concussion due to the nature of the fall/hit/knock to the head.

 

Sound icon Following a concussion you may find it difficult to:

  • concentrate for long periods
  • visually scan or focus
  • process a lot of written information

You will notice audio links throughout this website to help with this. Listen to your body and if you cannot read anymore, press the audio button, close your eyes and listen to the information.

It may also be useful to go through this information with a trusted friend or family member who can help guide you through the website if you get tired or remind you to take a break when you have had enough. There are a range of resources and links in purple that you can click on for more information.

 

For most people, symptoms improve within 1-4 weeks. If you have had a concussion before, especially if you have not fully recovered, you may take longer to recover. If your symptoms do not settle within a reasonable time-frame, or you are concerned, you could see your GP or a healthcare professional who is experienced in concussion management. A reasonable time-frame is 10-14 days for adults and 4 weeks for children.

 

Sound iconFactors Impacting Recovery

Many factors can impact on your capacity to return to previous roles/activities in the same way that you could do them before your concussion. While the severity of your concussion can be the main barrier, other potential barriers include:

  • Current stress and anxiety
  • Financial pressures
  • Inconsistent support / understanding
  • High expectation of self
  • Lack of acceptance of current capacity
  • Lack of supportive / flexible workplace
  • Musculoskeletal (eg. neck) injury and pain
  • Damage to your inner ear
  • Early return to sport / work / studies
  • Previous concussions / head injuries
  • Dizziness
  • History of migraines

 

Thank you to all the services and individuals within Perth/WA who have helped put this information together, as a concussion and it’s management requires a coordinated and consistent approach. This collaboration allows people post-concussion to go to this website, to better understand their condition and make informed decisions to help their recovery.

Last Updated: 01/06/2022
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Footer menu

  • wa.gov.au
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Brought to you by the Department of Health, Western Australia

© Government of Western Australia 2018 to