A few years back, the New York Mets found themselves in some controversy. Ryan Church, an outfielder, had suffered a concussion during a game in San Francisco. They had Church fly back with the team (a dehydrating six-hour cross-country flight) and were generally thought to have rushed, and ultimately impeded, his recovery. Learning from their mistakes, they were much more careful when high-priced outfielder Jason Bay suffered a similar injury this year, shutting him down in July for the rest of the season.
Concussions (an injury to the brain that leads to headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of memory and balance, and hearing impairments) are the most common head injury in sports. Obviously, contact sports like football, hockey, soccer, and wrestling are the most likely playing fields where concussions occur, but they can be from a bike or skiing accident just as easily.
Recovery from concussions is tricky. The symptoms can last for days or weeks, and can go away and come back. While recovery times greatly vary, the majority of people have no permanent damage from a single concussion.
Besides physical rest, it is important not engage in too many brain-taxing activities while recovering from a concussion. I have a relative who (with the cooperation of school officials) had to limit his high school workload and postpone his SAT's due to a concussion suffered in a basketball game.
A blow to the head during recovery from a concussion can cause "second impact syndrome"
with more serious consequences than the original injury. Professional athletes (hockey player Eric Lindros comes to mind) who have suffered multiple concussions often have to cut their careers short.
In conclusion, don't rush back into activities until cleared by your Physician!
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