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Health & Fitness

Advocate For Your Teen To Reduce Concussion Risk

Teen athletes are at risk of suffering from a concussion. In this blog I discuss what a concussion is and some way to prevent a concussion.

A coworker and I were talking about a young female soccer player who received a concussion playing soccer in April 2012 and is only now able to return to play. It seems like a long time but head injuries are slow to repair. Doctors today are taking concussions seriously. They are learning that Post Concussion Syndrome can follow an athlete into adulthood. So, what is a concussion and how can I help my son or daughter protect themselves from suffering from one?

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) Some medical professionals are now using the new MTBI term to more accurately describe the injury. Mild may be in the name but for the teen who suffers from a concussion it is anything but mild.

A concussion typically happens when the teen athlete is hit in the head by a ball, the ground or body part like an elbow or knee. When an athlete takes a hard impact to the head and either goes down or acts disoriented the coach or trainer needs to asses the athlete. The athlete should be assessed for any loss of consciousness, disorientation, loss of short term memory, amnesia, headache or emotional changes. The athlete exhibiting any of these symptoms should be taken out of the game and sent to the hospital for treatment and diagnosis. An athlete with a concussion left in the game has a much higher chance of re injuring the brain from much less of an impact. Athletes who suffer from a concussion should not participate in any athletics until the brain has fully healed. This time period is up to your physician or neurologist.

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Every sport has a potential for head injury but some have a higher risk than others. It's football season, boys soccer and softball season at the high schools. All of these athletes should have had a physical before starting the season. Some schools have begun baseline testing for cognitive ability in athletes participating in high risk sports. Freshman entering school this fall will have a baseline done and as the years pass school districts that require the baseline testing should begin to compile some important data relating to concussions and concussion syndrome.

Some ways to help your teen athlete from suffering from a concussion is to require them to use all of the protective equipment available all of the time, even in practice. Football helmets are better designed today than ever before. Baseball helmets are also well designed. Make sure the helmet fits your athlete. We've all seen the little kid with a helmet two sizes too big. It's cute but it offers very little protection.

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Soccer players are at risk from collisions and when heading the ball. There are headbands that offer some protection but are controversial. I found a study that showed significant decreases in peak impact forces when wearing a headband. I don't have much experience with soccer. My kids played soccer when they were younger so I'm not sure if the headbands are “cool” or not. I think as a parent, though, I would try to minimize the impact force to my teen's head by requiring them to wear a headband. An easy solution to the “cool” factor is to ask the soccer coach or Athletic Director to make it mandatory for all soccer players in high school to wear the headbands. If it's important enough to you to protect your child, present the study published in the Journal of Athletic Training and ask the athletic director to do some research also. If a soccer coach is reading this, I would like your opinion.

Concussions or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) can be an injury that follows your teen athlete the rest of their life. Post Concussion Syndrome patients complain of a myriad of symptoms including but not limited to the ability to concentrate, memory loss, headaches and visual disturbances.

The soccer headband issue is still being debated.  Some doctors point out that there is not enough evidence to say that the headbands will prevent concussions.

You're the best advocate for your child.  Do the research and decide for yourself which side of the debate you fall on. 

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