The subjective and objective sequelae accompanying mild head injury (MHI) a
re discussed in an attempt to clarify MHI's immediate and long-term consequ
ences. Areas covered include epidemiol ogy, classification, the post-concus
sive syndrome (PCS), malingering, extent of recovery, rehabilitation and gu
idelines for clinical practice. Special emphasis is placed on the poor rela
tionship between subjective complaint and objective measures of impairment.
Also discussed are some of the methodological problems in the MHI literatu
re, including attempts to match MHI subjects and controls with respect to c
ognitive and emotional complaint and the possible confounding effects of pr
actice. The evidence for long-lasting (i.e. more than 1 year), subtle neuro
behavioural impairment after MHI indicates that additional research is requ
ired on MHI 1 year or more after injury.