Concussion education / Tallahassee & the Big Bend

Concussion Care for College Students in Tallahassee

FSU, FAMU or TCC student hit your head in a crash, fall or game? How a concussion can affect classes and what to do next in Tallahassee.

College is busy enough without a head injury. If you are a student in Tallahassee and took a fall, a hit or a crash, this guide explains why classes might suddenly feel harder and what you can do.

Campus life in Tallahassee

Tallahassee is a college town. Students and staff at Florida State, Florida A&M and Tallahassee Community College ride scooters and bikes, drive Capital Circle and Tennessee Street, play intramural and club sports and travel I-10 for game days. A concussion in the middle of a semester can make reading, studying and exams much harder.

How a concussion can affect school

Concussion can make reading, screen time, lectures and exams harder. Students can talk with their provider about a gradual return to learning, and with their school's disability or accessibility office about temporary accommodations.

Asking for help early is a smart move, not a setback. Professors and campus offices see this more than you might think.

Common concussion symptoms

• Physical: headache, nausea, dizziness, balance problems, blurry vision, sensitivity to light or noise.
• Thinking: feeling foggy or slowed down, trouble concentrating or remembering.
• Emotional: irritability, sadness, anxiety.
• Sleep: sleeping more or less than usual.

When to go to the emergency room

Call 911 or go to the nearest ER right away for danger signs such as a headache that gets worse and does not go away, repeated vomiting, weakness or numbness, slurred speech, seizures, unusual confusion, one pupil larger than the other, or loss of consciousness. In the area, hospitals with emergency departments include FSU Health Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and HCA Florida Capital Hospital; in an emergency, go to whichever ER is closest.

Getting checked in Tallahassee & the Big Bend

If symptoms are not severe but are not going away, start with your treating provider, such as your primary care doctor, chiropractor, orthopedist, pain management physician or physical therapist. Keep a short symptom diary to share with them. If they decide objective testing makes sense, they can refer you to Braintree. We are a mobile service: our team brings concussion and TBI testing to your provider's office across Tallahassee & the Big Bend, so you are tested somewhere familiar. Your provider receives a physician-reviewed diagnostic report and decides on your care.

Not sure where to start? Call our help line at 813-709-3771. We can walk you through how testing works and help you think about next steps for getting checked and finding care. You can also read our guide for patients and families.

For local providers

If you treat accident or injury patients in Tallahassee, Quincy, Crawfordville and Perry, Braintree brings mobile concussion and TBI testing to your office and returns a physician-reviewed diagnostic report. You stay in charge of care. We diagnose. You treat. See how it works for providers or send a referral.

For legal teams

Personal injury firms serving Tallahassee & the Big Bend can learn how testing at the client's treating provider's office produces objective, physician-reviewed diagnostic reports. Testing is ordered by the treating provider. See information for attorneys.

Frequently asked questions

Related: Concussion testing in Tallahassee & the Big Bend | Concussion testing in Florida | For patients and families | Call 813-709-3771

Sources

• CDC: About mild TBI and concussion
• CDC HEADS UP: Concussion signs and symptoms
• NIH NINDS: Traumatic Brain Injury

This article is educational and is not medical or legal advice. If this is a medical emergency, call 911.