What happened
The bump, blow, or jolt — and what was observed immediately afterward.
California concussion education · desk no. 04
The scan is often normal.
The injury is not.
Most concussions never show on a CT or MRI. That gap — between a real injury and a quiet scan — is where claims get lost. This desk explains concussion mechanics, symptom documentation, and how the evidence file should be built. No invented numbers, no advice dressed as information.
Symptoms after a head injury can be a medical emergency — call 911 for loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, or worsening headache. This site does not give medical or legal advice.
01 / COUP IMPACT
Force at the impact site.
02 / CONTRECOUPRebound on the opposite side.
03 / BRAIN SHEARSymptoms can persist beyond a clear scan.
The short version
Read the red flags first.
Concussion education cannot replace urgent medical evaluation. Seek emergency help for danger signs after a head injury.
- 01 / Urgent
Worsening symptoms
Repeated vomiting, a worsening headache, seizure, slurred speech, unusual confusion, or increasing drowsiness warrant emergency attention.
- 02 / Record
Write what changed
Note the time, activity, symptom, intensity, and what made it better or worse. A contemporaneous record preserves sequence.
- 03 / Boundary
Information, not advice
This desk explains public sources. A qualified clinician evaluates an injury; a qualified lawyer evaluates a legal claim.
Index
Topics, in reading order
01What is a concussionmTBI mechanics, force, and the quiet-scan problem.Read file →02Concussion symptomsA structured symptom vocabulary across body and behavior.Read file →03When imaging is negativeWhat CT and MRI can show — and what they cannot.Read file →04Post-concussion syndromePersistence, functional disruption, and careful language.Read file →05Documenting symptomsBuild a record that preserves changes over time.Read file →06Return to activityGraded return, school, work, and risk management.Read file →07Concussion and claimsCausation records without settlement promises.Read file →08Neck involvementWhere cervical symptoms and concussion overlap.Read file →09Frequently asked questionsThe questions this desk is asked most, answered from the same sources.Read file →10GlossaryEvery term this desk uses, defined once, plainly.Read file →
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Routine imaging may be normal because concussion can affect function without a visible structural finding.Concussion Claim Desk — FAQ, grounded in CDC materials
Why documentation matters
The record is the quiet scan's only witness.
The strongest symptom record is specific, dated, and connected to function. A claim record is easier to evaluate when it separates event facts, medical evidence, functional change, and the timeline connecting them. The documentation gap is where real injuries get lost.
Build the symptom file →Record chronology
One injury. Five records.
History and exam
Evaluations, diagnoses, imaging reports, referrals, restrictions.
Symptom record
Date, time, the person's own words, and what changed.
Activity changes
School, work, driving, sleep, exercise, ordinary tasks.
Evidence lanes
Event, clinical, function — one timeline connecting them.
California time limits
Deadlines are fact-specific.
California deadlines can be fact-specific; this desk does not calculate a filing deadline or give legal advice. The claims file explains the evidence structure instead.
Read the claims file →Authority is traceableRead the source.
Read the source.
See the boundary.
Every file distinguishes medical information from California legal and statutory guidance. The desk grounds itself in CDC materials, the California Education Code (leginfo), PubMed literature, and the ICD-10-CM coding reference — so readers can move from a plain-language explanation to the underlying authority.