What every parent of or athlete should know about concussions. (part 1 of 2)
Concussions plague contact and seemingly non-contact sports at virtually every level. Approximately 135,000 high school athletes in the US suffer a documented concussion per year (who knows how many are missed and go uncounted?).
Sure they are common in a traditional contact sports like football. But many probably would not have considered girl's soccer (or cheer leading and basketball for that matter) a contact sport? Surprisingly though, it continues to produce an astounding number of concussions.
Multiple studies suggest that 4-7% of all collegiate athletes suffer concussions per year.
When we get to the NFL, the concussion rate seems to be roughly 1 every 2 games. With 32 teams playing 16 games per week for 20 weeks per season (4 preseason + 16 regular season...not including the post-season) roughly 160 reported concussions are documented per year. With the way that NFL teams so routinely and brazenly manipulate the official league injury report and then add in plain old missed diagnosis the actual number of concussions is most probably far greater.
A concussion commonly occurs from a blow to the head or jaw that injures the brain. This injury temporarily (we hope) interferes with proper brain functions including: memory judgment, reflexes, speech, balance and coordination. Immediate signs and symptoms may include headache, dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea or vomiting and/or slurred speech. Later manifestations include mood changes, confusion or difficulty focusing, sleep disturbances and/or sensitivity to light and noise.
Concussions seem to be somewhat cumulative in nature. Each concussion seems to predispose you to the next. Simply put, after you've had a concussion or two it takes less and less of a hit to cause the next one. It is commonly cited that you're 4 times more likely to get a second concussion after the first.
I don't mean to alarm you but what doctor's (myself include) don't know about concussions should scare you. We know what they look like (symptoms) but we don't know what truly happened to your brain. We don't have a blood test or scan to diagnose a concussion. We don't adequately understand the short or long term general or mental health issues associated with concussions. We can't tell you how many concussions are too many. We can't even tell you when its definitely safe to return to contact after a concussion. We don't know how severely it effects a kids' developing brain...we just know that it does and it's not good.
Remember, 135,000 concussed high school athletes is a BIG number.
(check back for part 2...How we can better protect ourselves and loved ones)
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