For years, concussions were considered an accepted part of athletic competition. Players “getting their bell rung” was just a part of the game, not only in football games and practices but in any contact sport. Today, however, we are hearing more and more about the lasting dangers of concussions, and parents are asking questions. What is a concussion? How dangerous are they? What are the symptoms? What can a parent do to protect their child?
We asked Barry Jordan, M.D., assistant medical director for Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, to help us find some answers.
Q: What causes a concussion?
A: Most of the time it will involve direct contact to the head, but not necessarily. Anything that can make the head move violently … can cause a concussion.
Q: Are they caused by the brain hitting the side of the skull?
A: No. If the brain actually hits the skull, that’s a different type of brain injury — a bruise. A concussion is more like the brain is heavily shaken — acceleration and deceleration causes the problem. There are a variety of different types of traumatic brain injuries. A concussion is just one type.
Q: Just how dangerous are concussions?
A: There is some evidence to suggest that they could be cumulative. One concerning thing that sometimes you may see is an athlete with a concussion and the first time it takes him a week to recover, the second one it takes him about three weeks to get better, the third one it takes him a month and a half. You don’t like to see that trend.
What we do know is that younger athletes tend to take longer to recover. So that would imply that perhaps concussion injuries may be more significant in younger athletes.
Q: What are the symptoms?
A: You can have cognitive symptoms, behavioral symptoms and you can have physical symptoms. Cognitive symptoms can include problems with memory, confusion, amnesia, decreased attention and concentration. Behavioral symptoms can include depression, irritability, impulsivity. Physical complaints can include headaches, dizziness, problems with balance, blurred vision, buzzing or ringing in the ears.
Q: With so many different symptoms, how do you know if you actually have a concussion?
A: There is no test available that will say if you have a concussion or not. There are tools that may assist you in making a diagnosis, but there is really no demonstrable, radiological or X-ray evidence of any abnormality for the most part. When an athlete is sent to the ER or to get a scan, it is usually to rule out a more serious brain injury. Most of the time if you have a concussion and you do a CT scan or an MRI, they’ll be negative. The reason you do it is to make sure you’re not missing something more serious such as a brain contusion or some type of brain hemorrhage or brain bleeding.
Q: What can parents do to protect their children from concussions if they are playing high school sports?
A: Parents need to be educated on the symptoms of a concussion, so that if a child sustains a concussion, the parent, coach or trainer knows. The official recommendation is that anyone who sustains a concussion should be immediately pulled from the game and medically evaluated.
David Neilsen is a Westchster-based freelance writer.
Barry Jordan, M.D., is the assistant medical director; director, Brain Injury Program; director, Memory Evaluation and Treatment Service; and attending Neurologist at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, 785 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains. 597-2500. Burke.org.
Heads Up!
The “Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports” campaign being run by the CDC suggests the following steps as ways a parent can help their child prevent a concussion or serious brain injury.
• Ensure your child follows their coach’s rules for safety and the rules of the sport.
• Encourage your child to practice good sportsmanship at all times.
• Make sure children wear the right protective equipment for their activity. Protective equipment should fit properly and be well maintained.
• Wearing a helmet is a must to reduce the risk of a serious brain injury or skull fracture. However, helmets are not designed to prevent concussions. There is no “concussion-proof” helmet. So, even with a helmet, it is important for kids and teens to avoid hits to the head.
The CDC states that concussions, while not life-threatening, can have serious effects and can change the way one’s brain normally works. As Jordan stated, there is evidence that the effects of a concussion are cumulative, so it is important to give your child time and rest to allow the brain to fully heal from a concussion.
If your child suffers a concussion, remove him or her from the game right away and seek the advice of a health care professional.
