{"id":33211,"date":"2026-05-31T00:18:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T00:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/?post_type=blog-press&p=33211"},"modified":"2026-05-31T00:18:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T00:18:58","slug":"beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion","status":"publish","type":"blog-press","link":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite occurring more than 180, 000 times in Australia each year, concussion remains one of the<\/strong>
\ncountry\u2019s most misunderstood injuries.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Concussions have commonly been viewed as simple bumps to the head. A 2017 study published in
\nPhysical Therapy in Sport analysed 200 Australian news articles and found that the most frequent
\nterms to describe concussions were \u2018head injury\u2019 and \u2018brain injury\u2019.
\nWhile these labels are by no means inaccurate, they do not capture the severity of concussions.
\nConcussions are more than a simple head clash or an isolated brain injury. They can result in serious
\ntrauma to the nervous system, producing symptoms like drowsiness, confusion, disrupted sleep,
\nmood swings, and emotional instability.<\/p>\n

Lauren Beriman has lived with concussion symptoms since childhood and has found that they have
\naffected her memory of how to perform daily tasks which are meant to be \u201cquite automatic for us\u201d.
\n\u201cAfter my last concussion there were times where I forgot to cook basic things like steak,\u201d she says.
\n\u201cI remember being in tears because I couldn\u2019t remember how to make pumpkin soup.\u201d
\nBeriman\u2019s memory struggles have caused her to freeze when trying to remember who certain
\npeople are.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s really tough because I\u2019m good at remembering people, their names and faces, but then I was
\nfinding myself being stuck,\u201d she says.
\nBeriman\u2019s most serious concussion happened in May 2024, when she was struck by a vehicle while
\nwalking. This incident has made a \u201csignificant difference\u201d in her life, stopping her from participating
\nin activities she used to enjoy.
\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t able to travel and I used to travel overseas or even interstate three to four times a year,\u201d
\nBeriman says.
\nGiven that concussions are known to increase sensitivity to noise, Beriman has struggled attending
\nlarge social gatherings.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s still very difficult attending restaurants because you\u2019re noise sensitive and it\u2019s hard
\nconcentrating on multiple conversations happening at once because of the background noise and
\nbeing in a big group of people,\u201d she says.
\nThe effects of Beriman\u2019s last concussion escalated so rapidly to the point where her career as a
\nschool teacher ended.
\n\u201cAt any point I would be triggered by symptoms as that environment would have lots of significant
\ntriggers for me, especially the loud noises, unpredictable behaviour and light sensitivity.\u201d
\nSo Beriman was ultimately unable to provide children with \u201cthat duty of care they need\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Hidden Struggles<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Beriman\u2019s story illustrates that concussion has the capacity to disrupt any aspect of one\u2019s daily life.
\nBut there is one factor which continues to obscure its seriousness- the invisibility of the injury. There
\nare rarely any clear signs to show that a concussed person has been injured.
\nBeriman felt that the lack of visibility of her injuries made her recovery process more challenging as
\nher peers were oblivious to her pain.
\n\u201cI was in hospital multiple times and during my biggest stint people would come visit me and tell me
\nhow great I looked,\u201d she says.
\n\u201cThey just really couldn\u2019t understand what was going on or why I couldn\u2019t participate in things.\u201d
\nThis lack of understanding did not just apply to Beriman\u2019s friends. She found that even medical
\nprofessionals would fail to grasp the weight of her situation.
\n\u201cYou\u2019d go to emergency not understanding anything that\u2019s happening to yourself and the doctors
\nwould tell you that you looked fine,\u201d she says.
\nBeriman found herself to be in a \u201cCatch-22\u201d where she could \u201carticulate very well\u201d to her medical
\nstaff and then be told by them that she was not sick.
\nDue to the doctors\u2019 constant downplaying of her symptoms, Beriman became \u201cso drained and upset
\nfrom coming in\u201d.
\n\u201cYou\u2019d be physically and visibly upset and then they\u2019d say you have anxiety,\u201d Beriman says. \u201cThis
\nisn\u2019t anxiety, I had a car accident and I couldn\u2019t remember my name or where I lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Widespread Lack of Knowledge<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The obliviousness to Beriman\u2019s struggles is reflective of the limited knowledge of concussions among
\nmany different groups of people in Australia.
\nAccording to a 2025 article published in the Medical Journal of Australia, 50 per cent of people with
\nconcussions do not receive appropriate care and concussion management is \u201chighly variable across
\nhealth professionals and community and health care settings\u201d.
\nThe article attributed these findings to \u201climited appreciation of the associated morbidity and impact
\non quality of life\u201d and \u201clow levels of knowledge about best practice care\u201d.
\nA separate study published in 2023 by the Royal Children\u2019s Hospital Melbourne scrutinised the role
\nof parents in managing their children\u2019s concussions.
\nAccording to this study, 34 per cent of parents have little to no knowledge about concussions, 29 per
\ncent falsely believe they only happen if someone loses consciousness, and 54 per cent are not aware
\nof the treatments.
\nThese findings are problematic as more than 20 per cent of Australian children experience a
\nconcussion by the age of 16 and parents are expected to be children\u2019s primary caregivers after
\nserious injuries occur.
\nAs someone who experienced head injuries as a child, Beriman calls for families to help children find
\nways to \u201cregulate their nervous system\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s happening to busy children and you\u2019re going to be able to nail a few points here with what\u2019s
\nhappening in today\u2019s society,\u201d she says.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re seeing a lot of children being diagnosed with ADHD and it\u2019s about that dysregulated nervous
\nsystem.\u201d
\nBeriman believes a crucial way of helping children settle their bodies is \u201cmaking sure they\u2019ve had
\nthat downtime\u201d after an \u201cintense day at school where they\u2019ve been running around and doing
\nsport\u201d.
\n\u201cIf children have had a concussion and a fall they\u2019re going to be emotional and fatigued.\u201d
\nSo parents need to be able to \u201cassist\u201d their child to \u201carticulate what has happened\u201d, according to
\nBeriman.
\nBeriman has used her experience to raise awareness of concussions by joining the Advisory Board
\nfor the Concussion Legacy Foundation Australia, a non-profit organisation that provides services to
\nindividuals and families who have suffered from the injury.
\nHer engagement with the foundation has given her the opportunity to guide people through their
\nrecovery.
\n\u201cI know what it feels like to have those really depressive times, but I could understand it was purely
\nlinked to the concussions,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to be able to validate people that feel that way.\u201d
\nBeriman has also been working with researchers to see the link between concussions and other
\nissues such as addiction.
\n\u201cEach time you have a concussion it increases your chances of having an addiction, so I was able to
\nhelp people with that and validate them,\u201d she says.
\nBeriman has found that another benefit of her role in the foundation is her ability to provide
\npractical guidance.
\n\u201cI think the most important thing is seeing your GP and your neuropsychologist and
\nneuropsychiatrist, and it\u2019s really well worth seeing specialists in those teams,\u201d according to Beriman.
\n\u201cAt Concussion Legacy Australia we have a helpline that helps you find specialists in your area, and
\nthat\u2019s how you take that stigma away because you\u2019re going to have people that really care.\u201d
\nBeriman feels the foundation has been highly proactive in creating positive change for people who
\nare finding new pathways after experiencing concussions.
\n\u201cYou feel as if your world has crumbled, your world has been flipped upside down, and the person
\nyou once were you don\u2019t feel like you can be anymore,\u201d she says. \u201cBut the Concussion Legacy helps
\nyou find new things to look forward to, but also being like what\u2019s happened to you is horrible but
\nwe\u2019re here to support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concussions in a Sporting Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Beriman is not a solitary case of how concussion can dismantle everyday life. Former domestic
\ncricketer Trent Keep has faced similar consequences in a very different setting.<\/p>\n

During a long and decorated cricket career which took place in Tasmania and then Queensland, Keep
\nexperienced repeated head trauma from the sport.
\nThe final straw occurred in Gold Coast in January 2023, when he was struck on the helmet by a
\ncricket ball while batting in the nets. This incident marked his medical retirement from all sports.
\nHe felt that concerns over his safety were impacting his enjoyment for cricket.
\n\u201cI always loved cricket but it became a point after the last concussion where the joy and satisfaction
\nof the game were becoming outweighed by the potential implications of being hit in the head
\nagain,\u201d Keep says.
\nFor Keep, a challenging part of battling concussions during his cricket career was the fluctuation
\nbetween feeling \u201cgreat\u201d and \u201cmiserable\u201d.
\n\u201cOn a Friday you feel great and everything gets ticked off and then 12 hours later you feel a bit more
\nmiserable,\u201d he says.
\nHe found that this dilemma came with \u201can air of worrying about what other people are going to
\nthink\u201d.
\nKeep\u2019s challenges have not always been limited to the cricket field. He experiences \u201creal fatigue\u201d
\nfrom computer screens if he is \u201cstaring at those for too long\u201d.
\n\u201cI was never excellent with computers but I\u2019ve noticed that they\u2019re really draining me,\u201d he says.
\nLike Beriman, Keep recently joined the Advisory Board for the Concussion Legacy Foundation. His
\nexperience with the organisation has allowed him to \u201caccept the cards that had been dealt\u201d and
\n\u201cmove towards healthier habits in life\u201d.
\n\u201cThere was some resentment at the start in terms of feeling like I didn\u2019t deserve it, but it became
\none foot in front of the next in terms of recovery,\u201d Keep says.
\nKeep feels the foundation has given him the \u201cavenue to speak on boards\u201d and a \u201creal proudness\u201d
\nthat his story \u201ccarries weight\u201d.
\n\u201cMy journey and speaking about it allowed me to heal from it a bit better,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s created a
\nreal air of interest in concussion in my particular networks.\u201d
\nKeep believes his decision to speak out has played a role in helping \u201cone person feel as though they
\nare not alone in this journey\u201d.
\n\u201cI\u2019m quite proud of the fact that a number of people have reached out to speak about how maybe it
\nhas helped them,\u201d he says.
\nSince joining the Foundation, Keep has noticed that he has developed a more \u201ccaring front\u201d towards
\nother athletes who have faced similar adversity.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s allowed me to step back from certain athletes and show some real interest and care,\u201d he says.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s given me a broader lens on why people are the way they are and what is the best learning
\nmethod for them moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along the way, Keep was fortunate to still have close friends within the cricket community to whom
\nhe was \u201copen and transparent with the difficulties of not just concussion but with life\u201d.
\n\u201cIf you\u2019re willing to give a little you get a lot back,\u201d he says. \u201cBut we\u2019ve got to continue to provide
\nthe environment for people to feel as though they can understand more about concussion and that
\nit\u2019s not something that\u2019s always going to be visible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Culture of Playing On<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite his personal progress, Keep\u2019s experience has not come without any regrets. He believes he
\ncould have tried harder to avoid the temptation to return to the field after experiencing an injury.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve been one who\u2019s been guilty of applying pressure in the past and wanting to get back to the
\nground as quickly as possible,\u201d he says.
\n\u201cIf I could change one thing it would be to sit out when in doubt and think about the long term
\neffects, particularly the residual stance that you are going to get concussed again.\u201d
\nKeep\u2019s desire to keep playing after a concussion is just an isolated example of an extremely common
\nissue among professional athletes. The Australian sporting industry has adopted a culture where
\nplaying on is socially acceptable.
\nAccording to a 2020 survey published by the Australian Sports Commission, 17 per cent of National
\nRugby League players had declined to report a likely concussion in 2018 and 2019, even though 85
\nper cent had received concussion education.
\nThe survey cited the most common reasons to be \u2018not wanting to be ruled out of the game or
\ntraining session\u2019 and \u2018not wanting to let down the coaches or teammates\u2019.
\nThis mentality is also common is less commercialised sports. A 2025 study conducted by Southern
\nCross University found that 21 per cent of surveyed Australian Taekwondo athletes reported
\nreturning to play on the same day as a suspected concussion.
\nThese athletes most often cited internal motivations for returning early, with 56 per cent being
\ndriven by a love of sport, 39 per cent by a desire to win, and 31 per cent by personal pressure to
\npush themselves.
\nWhile athletes are responsible for their own choices, we must not overlook the role of the sporting
\nmedia in the normalisation of the play on culture. Commentators and journalists have continually
\ncelebrated sportsmen who have played through severe pain.
\nDuring the 2019 Ashes series, the Sky Sports\u2019 commentary team labelled Australian batsmen Steven
\nSmith as \u201ccourageous and brave\u201d for returning to the cricket pitch after being felled by English fast
\nbowler Jofra Archer.
\nSites such as ABC News and NRL.com have showered compliments to former Sydney South player
\nSam Burgess for playing through the 2014 NRL grand final with a broken cheekbone, describing his
\nperformance as \u201cinspirational\u201d and worthy of \u201crugby league folklore\u201d.<\/p>\n

Making the Long Terms Risks a Top Concern<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Annita Siliato, CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation Australia, believes there needs to be a shift
\nin the media narratives of concussions.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a brain injury, that\u2019s how it should be treated and people should not be seen as heroes or
\ntough,\u201d she says. \u201cThe narrative needs to be that they\u2019re heroes if they come off the ground rather
\nthan stay on.\u201d
\nThe media should treat concussions as \u201cany other injury\u201d, according to Siliato.
\n\u201cIf you have dislocated your shoulder it\u2019s accepted you don\u2019t go back and play, so it shouldn\u2019t be
\naccepted that if you have a suspected brain injury you\u2019ll be going on,\u201d she says.
\nThe need to change public narratives largely stems from CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
\nA neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma, CTE has been identified in Australian
\nathletes from contact sports. Data released in 2022 from the Australian Brain Bank showed over half
\nof brains donated by former athletes had signs of CTE.
\nSiliato says CTE is an area where \u201cthere could be more done in terms of education and support\u201d.
\n\u201cCTE or repetitive head knocks over a long period of time are ignored because the only way you can
\nget CTE is through being hit,\u201d according to Siliato.
\n\u201cIt could be a way to have that right balance where you could continue to play sports but also have
\nCTE in the back of your mind.\u201d
\nSiliato says the foundation has worked to create a space where the long term consequences of
\nconcussions and CTE can be addressed.
\n\u201cWith people in their fifties there\u2019s dementia symptoms, aggressive behaviour and sometimes
\nepilepsy, and I feel like that links more to mental health,\u201d she says.
\nSo the foundation offers a large portion of its support to middle aged or elderly people who \u201creally
\nstruggle with their mental health\u201d, fail to \u201cremember things\u201d, and \u201cnotice their behaviour is
\ndifferent\u201d, according to Siliato.
\nSiliato says the foundation has sessions aimed at widening concussion conversations by amplifying
\nthe voices of people with lived experiences and expert knowledge of the injury.
\n\u201cWe have younger people with post-concussion syndrome, carers who are caring for people who\u2019ve
\nhad brain injury, or even people who\u2019ve lost partners due to brain injury,\u201d according to Siliato.
\n\u201cWe also have a lot of older people who feel they have suspected CTE and we even have people
\nfrom the NDIS come along because they have patients in that category.\u201d
\nSiliato says the foundation has been making sure that a medical clinician has been attending each
\nsession.
\n\u201cWe had an audiologist come along because with brain injuries come balance issues or tinnitus,\u201d she
\nsays.
\n\u201cWe also had a naturopath as a lot of people are looking for non-medication type of methods
\nbecause medication can have worse impacts for them overall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most notably, Shaun Smith- a former Melbourne Football club player who suffered from a series of
\nconcussions during his career- recently shared his journey with the foundation.
\n\u201cHe was admitted to a mental health facility and that facility helped him,\u201d Siliato says. \u201cNow he\u2019s
\nmanaging it more naturally and giving hope.\u201d
\nWe must \u201cgive hope to people with long term brain injuries\u201d by spreading the message that \u201cyou can
\nstill manage them and enjoy life\u201d, according to Siliato.<\/p>\n

Changing the Rules<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While organisations such as the Concussion Legacy Foundation have been raising awareness of the
\nlong term risks of concussions, the next step is ensuring that this knowledge translates into
\nconsistent practice.
\nAt an institutional level, there have been efforts to improve the safety and health outcomes for
\nAustralian athletes with concussions. In 2024, the Australian Institute of Sport released guidelines
\nwhich recommend that athletes rest for 14 days before returning to contact training and 21 days
\nbefore returning to competitive contact sport.
\nDavid Hughes, Australian Institute of Sports Chief Medical Officer, says these guidelines are intended
\nto give a \u201cgenerous amount of time for the neuroinflammation to settle and for the brain to return
\nto its normal state\u201d.
\n\u201cWe need to be conservative because if you follow these guidelines, we\u2019re hoping this will be a one-
\noff,\u201d Hughes says. \u201cIf we let you get go back prematurely we\u2019re risking you getting another
\nconcussion.\u201d
\nMedical practitioners must communicate the concussion guidelines effectively to injured athletes so
\nthat they are not prematurely cleared to return to participation, according to Hughes.
\n\u201cThe person advising the athlete- the medical practitioner- needs to be sympathetic to the player,
\nbut otherwise emotionally removed,\u201d he says.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got to make logical decisions and explain to the patient that I\u2019m here to ensure that you get
\nto play as much of your sport as possible.\u201d
\nEven though some sportsmen who have been concussed \u201cwant to get back sooner\u201d, Hughes stresses
\nthe need for their doctors to be \u201cthe adults in the room\u201d.
\n\u201cThey need to make decisions purely based on what is best for the short and long term health of the
\nathlete, not about the athlete\u2019s motivation to get back to the sport,\u201d he says.
\nHughes emphasises the importance of an \u201ceducation piece\u201d which requires \u201cspending time talking to
\nthe athlete\u201d, explaining \u201cwhy we are conservative\u201d, and describing the long term effects.
\n\u201cMaybe we need to explain about the neuroinflammation,\u201d he says. \u201cEven though the athlete is
\nfeeling good at the moment, they could still have neuroinflammation and we need to get them
\ngradually increasing their activities and making sure they\u2019re symptom free before returning to
\nparticipation.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Hughes, the \u201ceducation piece\u201d must be understood by multiple groups of people,
\nincluding sport officials, parents and school teachers.
\n\u201cEveryone needs to be aware of what the concussion policy is and it needs to be well-socialised so
\neverybody understands we\u2019ve got a concussion, here\u2019s our protocol, and we have that protocol
\nfollowed,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","format":"standard","blog_press_categories":[41],"class_list":["post-33211","blog-press","type-blog-press","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","blog_press_categories-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBeyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion - Concussion & CTE Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite occurring more than 180, 000 times in Australia each year, concussion remains one of the country\u2019s most misunderstood injuries. Concussions have\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion - Concussion & CTE Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Despite occurring more than 180, 000 times in Australia each year, concussion remains one of the country\u2019s most misunderstood injuries. Concussions have\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Concussion & CTE Foundation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/blog-press\\\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/blog-press\\\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\\\/\",\"name\":\"Beyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion - Concussion & CTE Foundation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-31T00:18:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"Despite occurring more than 180, 000 times in Australia each year, concussion remains one of the country\u2019s most misunderstood injuries. Concussions have\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/blog-press\\\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/blog-press\\\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/blog-press\\\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Beyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/\",\"name\":\"Concussion & CTE Foundation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/concussionandcte.org\\\/en-au\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Beyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion - Concussion & CTE Foundation","description":"Despite occurring more than 180, 000 times in Australia each year, concussion remains one of the country\u2019s most misunderstood injuries. Concussions have","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Beyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion - Concussion & CTE Foundation","og_description":"Despite occurring more than 180, 000 times in Australia each year, concussion remains one of the country\u2019s most misunderstood injuries. Concussions have","og_url":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/","og_site_name":"Concussion & CTE Foundation","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/","url":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/","name":"Beyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion - Concussion & CTE Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-31T00:18:58+00:00","description":"Despite occurring more than 180, 000 times in Australia each year, concussion remains one of the country\u2019s most misunderstood injuries. Concussions have","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/blog-press\/beyond-the-head-knock-the-real-impact-of-concussion\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Beyond the Head Knock: The Real Impact of Concussion"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/#website","url":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/","name":"Concussion & CTE Foundation","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-press\/33211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog-press"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"blog_press_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_press_categories?post=33211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}