More than 95,000 Iowans live with a disability acquired from a brain injury, including traumatic brain injuries and strokes, according to the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa. That’s roughly the same number of people in Washington, Keokuk, Jefferson, Iowa, Henry and Louisa counties combined. March is brain injury awareness month.

Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury, and they’re caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or body, which causes the brain to move rapidly back and forth in the skull, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kaelene Voorhees with JET Physical Therapy in Washington is an athletic trainer who works with athletes at area high schools. She says when trainers believe an athlete may have a concussion, they remove the athlete from play or have play stopped and go through a cognitive exam. That exam covers memory, manual muscle testing, and other components, to determine if the athlete can return to play or needs to see further medical assistance. Once an athlete is approved by a doctor to return, there’s a seven-day process from light exercise to full exercise.

The CDC says there are a number of ways to prevent brain injuries in day to day life, including wearing the proper helmet for activities and using size-appropriate car seats that are installed properly.