• Question: How many times do you get hit in the head before you pass out

    Asked by Chloe to Ria, Adrian, Iroise, Joe, Rachel on 8 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Iroise Dumontheil

      Iroise Dumontheil answered on 8 Nov 2016:

      I am not an expert on concussion, I would it really depends on the force at which you were hit and the direction you were hit. Basically when you are hit in the head, your brain moves inside the skull, and can bang onto the skull. Just above your eyes the skull has ridges that can really damage the brain when it hits them. Another problem is that the brain may end up twisting because of the acceleration/deceleration and the fibers that connect the different brain regions can get damaged. So even if you don’t pass out, repeated chocks to the head can be very bad (for example in rugby, boxing, American football, ice hockey).

    • Photo: Ria Vaportzis

      Ria Vaportzis answered on 10 Nov 2016:

      You may get hit multiple times and not pass out or get hit once and pass out, so it varies. The intensity of the hit and the exact part of the brain that was hit matter too. When I was 15 I was hit by a wooden window that dropped from the second floor of a building on my head. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t pass out. I got 3 stitches and that was pretty much it. I must have a very strong skull 🙂

Comments