The following is a transcript of a report by medical editor Marilyn Brooks that first aired Oct. 24, 2006, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

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Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident in June, in addition to this most recent head injury, could lead to long-term problems.

Repeated concussions have ended the careers and lives of more than a few athletes. Think of your skull as a box and your brain as an egg. When you get a violent blow to the head, your brain is slammed around inside the box. Bruising disrupts the electrical activity, causing symptoms.

Burke Coleman certainly had symptoms when a concussion knocked him out of basketball season.

"Right after it happened, I experienced dizziness," said Coleman. "I lost all my focus. I had no attention span."

It happens about 82,000 times a year, making head injury the most common in sports.

The longer you're unconscious, the more severe and persistent the symptoms.

"It can be subtle," said Dr. Darrin Bright. "It can be just a headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances."

A head injury doesn't always mean unconsciousness. In fact, 90 percent of those who suffer concussions remain awake, but once you've had a concussion, you are four times more likely to have a second concussion.

A helmet does provide some protection, but it's less with each subsequent concussion.

Another little interesting point about concussions is that they don't have to be head-rockers. The more concussions you have, the easier they are to come by. That may be an indication that the brain never fully recovers from a hard knock.

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