Youth Head Injuries & Concussion - Keeping Our Kids Safe
Fall sports are in full swing for our youth, and unfortunately, a season with football, soccer, and other sports will include concussions for some of our youth. In addition to these team sports, common childhood activities like biking, skateboarding, snowboarding, and even tripping while running are all causes of concussion. Much more attention has been given to youth concussion by the media in recent years, but many people still do not respect how serious concussions are and the potential lifelong consequences that can result.
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth. This fast movement can cause the brain to bounce around in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells. Simply said, there is no such thing as a “mild concussion”.
Whenever a potential head injury occurs, a participant (of any age) should be immediately removed from the activity and evaluated for a concussion. Signs that may be observed include appearing dazed, being confused, answering questions slowly, unable to remember events, loss of consciousness (even if only a second), or personality changes. Symptoms that an injured athlete may report are a headache, dizziness, nausea, blurry vision, sensitivity to light or noise, feeling foggy, difficulty concentrating, and just not “feeling right”. If an athlete reports even one of these signs or symptoms, the athlete should be evaluated by a healthcare provider before returning to any physical activity. Please note, sometimes an athlete with a concussion will not get a headache right away. Do not assume it is not a concussion just because the participant does not have a headache.
The Wisconsin Concussion Law (Concussion and Head Injury Statute 118.293) states that a person who has been removed from a youth athletic activity due to signs, symptoms, or behavior consistent with a concussion or head injury, cannot return to athletic activity until evaluated by a healthcare provider and has received written clearance to participate. This is important to understand. Once removed from activity, a coach or parent does not have the option to return the child to participation in organized athletics. Parents cannot simply “give their permission” for their child to return. Written clearance must come from an appropriate healthcare provider.
Why is this all so important? Because concussions can be life changing if not managed correctly. The worst-case scenario is second impact syndrome, which occurs when an athlete takes a second blow to the head prior to the brain recovering from the original injury. This causes rapid, massive swelling in the brain. Though uncommon, second impact syndrome is fatal over 50% of the time when it occurs.
More common is long-term post-concussion syndrome. This can cause problems with headaches, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, and brain fog that last for months or even years. Returning to activity too soon after a concussion or repeated concussions have also been linked to anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Taking an extra week or two to return safely after a head injury can make a huge difference on the long-term health of a child.
What can you do to keep your child or loved ones safe?
Talk with your child about concussions and the importance of letting you know if they have an injury.
Ensure that coaches at all levels of sports are teaching safe techniques and stressing the importance of safety with their teams.
Make sure your child is wearing a helmet while riding bike, skateboarding, snowboarding, and other high-risk activities.
If your child has any signs or symptoms of a concussion, remove him or her from sports and other physical activities until evaluated and cleared by a healthcare provider.
The benefits of physical activity and athletic participation far outweigh the risk, but we must work together to minimize the risk of concussion and injury in our youth and make sure our injured youth are cared for in the right way.
Jackson County: Healthy People, Strong Community.
