Parents, coaches, medical professionals and the media all have expressed concern about contact sports causing concussions in children. Head injuries can be extremely serious in children, and ignoring a head injury can be serious or even fatal. But there are steps that those involved with youth sports can take to protect young athletes against concussions.
Types
Intramural and recreational sports are the third-highest cause of traumatic brain injuries in children. The Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, reports an estimated 2.4 million children between the ages of 5 and 18 ended up in an emergency room for sports-related injuries between 2001 and 2005. Of those injuries, nearly 135,000 were traumatic brain injuries, also called TBI, which includes concussions. The most common sports where TBIs occur are bicycling, football, soccer and basketball. Boys suffer more concussions than girls in most sports except for soccer, in which the rate of TBIs is equal.
Identification
A concussion is caused by a direct or indirect blow to the head and can result in disorientation, memory disruption, dizziness, loss of consciousness, stumbling and vomiting. A child can experience all or only some of these symptoms after suffering a concussion. Symptoms can appear immediately after injury or as long as several hours later.
Vulnerability
Children may be more vulnerable to concussions than adults because of the immature nature of their brains. Children's brains are still developing, so a concussion might be more severe and take longer to heal. Recovery from a concussion could take months, and a child might suffer from symptoms throughout the recovery time.
Second-Impact Syndrome
Second-Impact Syndrome is a concern for all athletes, but especially for children. Second-Impact Syndrome occurs when a second injury to the head occurs before the first one heals completely. This second injury could be a minor injury in itself but could have catastrophic results such as permanent disability or death. Since children can have a longer recovery time and might not exhibit symptoms throughout recovery, they could be at higher risk for Second-Impact Syndrome.
Prevention/Solution
Some states have made it illegal for a student athlete to return to a sport without a doctor's evaluation and consent. Some schools also are considering or implementing neuropsychological testing to determine an athlete's baseline neurological and psychological status before an injury occurs. If the student suffers an injury, she must take the test again to determine if she has recovered back to her baseline before she is allowed to play sports again. Knowledge of first aid by the coaching staff is also essential, as is an understanding by coaches, athletes and parents that any head injury must be evaluated by a doctor. In the case of a possible concussion, "toughing it out" could be extremely detrimental.
