Concussions Tag

Symptoms Of Concussions In Kids We've all heard a lot more about concussions or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in recent years. Medical practitioners now better understand how devastating and debilitating multiple concussions can be as they can affect the way a brain functions. As of 2012 all major professional sports leagues such as the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB have policies and procedures for handling concussions. If your child is part of any organized sport team or group, be sure to ask to see their policies on how to handle concussions. Not all concussions are caused by organized sports; they are often caused by a fall, a car or bike accident or severe jarring to the body. A child with a concussion may be knocked unconscious, but most are not. Symptoms of a concussion may develop 24 to 72 hours after an injury. If your child shows any of these signs, take him to his doctor right away.

Kids Take Longer To Recover After Multiple Concussions

A new study suggests that children who have had a concussion previously are more likely to take longer to recover than children who experience their first concussion.

Study Suggests Kids Take Longer to Recover after First Concussion

The new study (“Time Interval Between Concussions and Symptom Duration”) published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in June, is based on research completed after watching 280 children and young adults between the ages of 11 and 22 who had been previously been treated for a concussion. The study factored in the time between the concussions and noted the effect that each concussion had on the patient. Children that experienced a second concussion within one year of their first concussion exhibited a recovery period that was three times longer than children and young adults that experienced their concussions more than one year apart.

Diagnosing and Treating Concussions

New Research in Concussions Leads to Revised Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment

In March, the American Academy of Neurology updated its guidelines for managing concussions. The new guidelines now emphasize treating each concussion and each patient on a case-by-case basis. This is a departure from the idea of operating under a pre-defined scale to assess the severity of the concussion. The traditional technique which uses a grading scale to determine the intensity and severity of the concussion has been replaced with guidelines that favor removing athletes from play until they can be properly evaluated by a healthcare professional.