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Sports Medicine News
How to understand concussion of the brain
Head injury prevention, especially in soccer The American Board of Neurology has some new recommendations about head injury. One of the leading causes of fatal head injuries due to sports for children is soccer. When a child gets a head injury, the special regulatory mechanism that controls the pressure of the fluid in the brain may be injured. When the child gets another head injury before full recovery, such as with a header, the brain immediately swells uncontrolled and may herniate and cause sudden death. This is disastrous and preventable.. We need to all be aware of the new recommendations of the American Board of Neurology. Concussions come in 3 grades: 1. No loss of consciousness, mild confusion less than 15 minutes. 2. No loss of consciousness, confusion more than 15 minutes (see the doctor). 3. Any loss of consciousness (see the doctor, always) When to return to sports: 1. For one Grade 1, if symptoms resolve in less than 15 minutes, may return immediately. 2. For more than one Grade 1 or a Grade 2, remove from all sports one week. 3. For more than one Grade 2, see a doctor and remove from all sports 2 weeks. 4. For a grade 3, see a doctor and stay out of sports 2 weeks minimum. For more than one grade 3, out for at least a month. What does this mean to you? How should you use this? First of all, if you are worried about your child, see your doctor. The way I use this is as follows. A header is to be avoided for one to two weeks after a head injury no matter how mild. Say for instance, two soccer boys collide and hit heads and neither boy has a loss of consciousness and neither has any confusion whatsoever after 15 minutes. I would recommend to avoid another header for two weeks to prevent the child from going to the next category of return. In the recommendations above, more than one Grade 1 is removed from sports for one week. So, a header too soon after a significant head injury may put your child at serious risk. Let's all get educated and be safe. What to look for in a concussion: Symptoms of an early concussion are: headache, dizzy, confused, nausea. Symptoms of a late concussion are: headache, light headed, poor attention, memory disfunction, fatigue, irritable, intolerant of bright lights, blurred vision, anxiety, sleep disturbance. When to go to the doctor: If there are symptoms of a concussion early or late, check with your doctor. Whenever it is Grade 2 or multiple Grade 1's, see the doctor and remove from sports until cleared. When in doubt, make the decision on the side of overly conservative.
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This is the greatest search engine on the planet, in my opinion. Click on it, it will take you there Last modified03/05/05: |
As always, this is for educational use and is not a substitute
for going to the doctor.