|
Concussions
Children these days are involved more and more with contact sports such as hockey, soccer, basketball, wresting and so forth. It is estimated that close to 300,000 concussions occur in contact sports each year. Many of these occur to children as well as adults. A concussion is caused by trauma to the head, which results in a change in the mental status of the injured person. The person may or may not experience a loss of consciousness. Other typical symptoms include headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, double vision, nausea, and seeing stars.
Why should you as a parent be concerned about a concussion? Repeated concussions can lead to cumulative effects (damage), which can lead to permanent cognitive impairment and even death. Cumulative effects occur when a second concussion occurs before healing of the initial concussion is completed which may take weeks to months.
As a parent, you should never let your child return to play after a concussion. As well the child should not be left alone and should be checked regularly to see if the condition is deteriorating. Return to play must be determined by a physician after a complete examination has been done.
Although leading experts in this field cannot agree on how to manage this condition, there are some basic procedures, which have been agreed upon. First, a CT scan is required if the following criteria have been met: loss of consciousness for more than five minutes; injury in which the skull has been penetrated; seizure; intracranial pressure and abnormal neurological findings.
Regardless of the symptoms, a child should receive immediate attention if the child exhibits one of the following behaviors: disorientation; unusual behavior; inability to wake child; headaches o f increasing nature; seizures; unstable gate; sleepiness and increased vomiting. A loss of consciousness of even five minutes increases the chances of some neurological damage, which can be detected with a CT scan. If in doubt, refer your child to emergency for immediate attention.
|
