WITH PETER LANDESMAN’S NEW MOVIE CONCUSSION IN THEATRES NOW, THE TOPIC OF SAFETY IN YOUTH SPORTS IS RISING TO THE FOREFRONT OF CONVERSATIONS AGAIN. EVEN SO, MANY PARENTS ARE STILL UNFAMILIAR WITH THE SERIOUSNESS OF HEAD INJURIES OR MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF CONCUSSION ON KIDS. BY: LARA KRUPICKA
PREVENTING CONFUSION ABOUT CONCUSSION:
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MYTHS Unmasked 46
Peninsula Kids – Autumn 2016
When my teenage daughter came off the soccer field at the end of a game complaining of a headache I brushed it off. Even when she mentioned another player had hit her in the head during a scuffle for the ball. The blow had been mild enough not to disrupt play, so I gave her Nurofen and encouraged her to rest. When the headache persisted, I chalked it up to migraine tendencies. Imagine my grief and guilt when four days later the school athletic trainer diagnosed her with a concussion. I couldn’t understand how I missed the signs. I’m not the first mum to be blindsided by a child’s concussion. Due to the myriad of myths surrounding this condition, it often takes parents by surprise. In fact, earlier this year the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) revealed that concussion remains the most underreported, under-diagnosed head injury. To help you avoid mistaking or mistreating your child’s condition, should he or she suffer a bump to the head, I’ve unmasked six common concussion myths:
MYTH: You can tell right away when someone has a concussion. They’ll vomit and have a bad headache. FACT: Symptoms can take hours or even days to appear. And because each brain is different, reactions to the injury vary from child to child. (see sidebar for common symptoms) Symptoms also differ between boys and girls. A 2011 study in the Journal of Athletic Training found that both boys and girls report headaches after a concussion. But boys more often experience amnesia and confusion or disorientation, while girls may describe themselves as being drowsy or sensitive to noise.
MYTH: You have to be knocked unconscious for it to be a concussion. FACT: According to the CNS, only about 10% of concussioninducing blows cause the person to black out. And a concussion can occur even without a direct blow to the head. An impact to another part of the body, such as a hard fall, can sometimes jar the head enough to cause the brain to come in contact with the skull’s interior. It is this internal collision that causes the injury.