Facts About Concussions
Concussions are a traumatic brain injury that occurs when the brain shakes inside of the skull. Concussions commonly occur during contact sports like football, soccer, and boxing, but can also be the result of things like car or bike accidents, falls or from physical altercations at home or during daily life. It is important that your child has the appropriate safety gear whether participating in sports or activities outside of school in order to prevent concussions. This includes a seatbelt when traveling in any type of vehicle. Make sure to speak with your children about the importance of these safety precautions and the repercussions that can occur.
Symptoms of a concussion are:
· Unconsciousness
· Headache or neck pain that worsens instead of going away
· Nausea or vomiting
· Fatigue
· Slurred speech
· Poor balance
· Difficulty concentrating
· Dizziness or loss of balance
Symptoms of a concussion may not show up immediately or can be subtle enough to not cause alarm. Therefore, it is important to closely monitor your child if you believe they may have a concussion and take them to their doctor or the emergency room if they have the above symptoms and they continue to worsen. The only cure for a concussion is rest. Full recovery time depends on the degree of the concussion ranging from a few days to weeks, months or even longer. Kids usually take longer to heal from concussions because their brains are still developing.
It is important to make sure your child recovers completely from the concussion before they continue with any physical activities. Suffering from a second concussion before the first one has fully healed can cause recovery to be prolonged or lead to long lasting effects like brain swelling or brain damage. Having a concussion increases the risk of a second concussion occurring again.
To recap, there are many symptoms of a concussion. These symptoms may be subtle at first or may take several days to appear. They can happen not only from sports, but can be caused by other recreational activities or accidents. It is important to take your child to get checked out if you believe they may have a concussion. It is a good idea to be familiar with the symptoms of a concussion and how to prevent one from occurring, especially If you have children playing contact sports. It is important to make sure your children have the proper safety equipment they require in all situations to prevent concussions from happening.