WHAT IS A CONCUSSION? A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or any other injury that jars or shakes the brain inside of the skull. With concussions, there may not be any obvious signs of injury externally, but a person may have still sustained a brain injury. A person does not have to pass out in order to have a concussion and some people do not have obvious symptoms of a concussion; such as forgetting what happened right before the injury. Most people fully recover from concussions with recovery times averaging from a few hours to a few weeks. (SOURCE: www.webmd.com)CHILD ATHELETES AND CONCUSSIONS: The risk of concussion is greater in young athletes than in older athletes. It also takes a longer time for kids to heal from a concussion than adults. There are many reasons for this but researchers say it is mostly because the younger brain is more vulnerable because it is not fully developed. Research also suggests that many concussions in kids go unreported because of a lack of knowledge about what constitutes a concussion. Many children are not given medical attention and are often allowed to continue to play. Sustaining a concussion and not seeking medical attention can be dangerous and even fatal. (SOURCE: www.knowconcussion.org)
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? There are many signs that can indicate a concussion has happened but it is not always easy to tell if someone has had a concussion. Some symptoms are mild and some may last for months. Symptoms include:
(SOURCE: www.webmd.com)
BASELINE NEUROLOGICAL TESTING: Baseline computer testing is available to measure skills before and after a concussion happens in order to make sure a person is ready to go back to normal activity after sustaining any type of head trauma. ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is a type of baseline test that can be administered by team coaches, school nurses and athletic trainers and is the most highly used baseline test. (SOURCE: www.impacttest.com) In Mid-Missouri, the Jefferson City Medical Group, JCMG, has funded the ImPACT program for Jefferson City and Helias High Schools.
MISSOURI LAW: Missouri has a new law regulating high school athletes and concussion management. Signed by the governor this summer it mandates athletes with a concussion stay off the field until cleared by a doctor to play. It also requires parents and teens to be educated about the risks.
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