When in doubt, sit them out

Healthy Lifestyle
Written by: Melanie Talastas-Soriano CAT(C) Athletic Therapist, CFT Fitness Trainer
 
Disclaimer: Our intent is to help the general public with general information about injury rehabilitation and exercise programs. Our opinion does not replace the opinion of a medical doctor. If your condition is serious, please consult your doctor.
 
Young Athletes and Concussion: If in doubt, sit them out.
In our previous articles, we focused on musculoskeletal injuries and how to manage injuries to the joints, bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles as a home program. We imagined that there are individuals who experience mild tendon tear or ligament tear that you can do self-treatment at home.
 
I want to bring your attention to a delicate form of head injury, concussion. Concussion is described as acceleration and deceleration of the brain due to direct or indirect impact to the head, face, jaw or shoulders. Basically it’s a violent jarring or shaking of the brain within the skull that disturb brain function. The force can also be a combined amount over time.

If you have an athletic child, it is important to know how this condition can affect a child. Also, it is important to recognize someone with a concussion especially if your child participate in contact sports. Aside from football, many contact sports like volleyball, hockey, soccer, rugby and basketball have a risk for head injuries.
  
As parents, it is important to know what you need to look for when managing a concussion. Remember that the athlete does not have to have all the signs and symptoms they may only have one or a few. To help you better understand which signs and symptoms to look for in a child with a concussion, here are some examples.

If you think your child has a concussion, you need to bring them to a doctor to be assessed. Do not leave them alone. Teachers can be made aware of the condition of the child so they can monitor abnormal behaviors. However, if the symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks, take your child back to his/her family doctor. The doctor will be providing you with further instructions that you can follow for the home management program.
 
There are different types of concussion that can be detect by the specialist. The severity of it can be evaluated by the doctor and will refer you to a neurosurgeon that specializes in concussion. Depending on the severity of the concussion, you will be advised by your doctor to manage the child’s condition until the signs and symptoms go away.
 
They may also recommend to see an Athletic Therapist for sports rehabilitation so that they can go back to play/school safely. The place to go that specializes in sports rehab for concussion is at the Sport Medicine Centre located at Sports for Life building.