Concussion for kids





Figure 1



Concussions 101

Have you ever watched a sports game and a player took a big hit and went off the field? Have you ever wondered what happened to that player when he was on the sideline? Well they were probably checked for a concussion. A concussion is a bump, or hit to the head that causes our brain to move around and bounce into the sides of our skull (Figure 1). This can lead to many serious problems, such as dizziness, headache, numbness/ tingly, and memory loss (4). A common misconception of sustaining a concussion is that a person must be knocked unconscious, and that is NOT true. Concussions are able to leave many other symptoms, but those are the main side effects players report after sustaining a mild concussion.

One of the most important thing to know when dealing with a concussion is that every single concussion is different and should be treated differently. Every player will recover at a different pace and should never be rushed. Concussions can be timely when trying to treat because the brain tissue and cells are out of place and need time to settle and go back to normal. Therefore there is no real way to expedite the recovery process, its all up to the persons brain cells, and tissue to go back to normal. The only way to aid the process is to not be active, and not to over exert the brain and head (figure 3). Concussions have known to typically take weeks, even months to fully heal, a known problem when dealing with concussions is returning to play too early. If a player returns too early their brain is at higher risk of re-injury, and if re-injured a player could experience massive swelling called Second Impact Syndrome (4).

Figure 3

Concussions can be difficult to diagnosed because sometimes athletes are told to "walk it off", or that it was just a stinger, or a dinger. Take this advice REPORT IT, if a player experiences a head ache or a feeling fuzzy they need to tell an adult! The first step to reducing concussions is reporting them. Many concussions go unreported and that is extremely dangerous. Staying positive is the way to go when managing a concussion. To ensure full recovery it is best to support the athlete in the recovery process, and not pressure them to return to the field early.



Figure 2

In recent years medical professionals have made the discovery of a disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE. It is typically found in older athletes, military veterans, and others with a long history of brain trauma. The disease is a build up of an abnormal protein called Tau, which slowly kills brain cells( Seen in figure 2). Which makes CTE deadly is that it continues even after physical exposure of the brain has ended (4). Symptoms include: confusion, memory lose, paranoia, aggression, depression, and eventually even dementia. The scary part of the disease is that it has been seen to start months, or even years after the trauma has concluded. Also the only way for CTE to be diagnosed is after a person has died, this is because CTE does not appear on normal CAT scans or medical tests (4). CTE is so powerful that many former athletes and public icons have committed suicide or acts that they would not typically commit because of this terrible disease.

The NFL has made serious improvements to reduce the number of concussions and have made concussions a top priority. Hopefully in the future doctors and medical professionals are able to completely rule them out of the game, but for now educating the public and the nations youth on concussions will have a strong impact on such a serious problem.
References:
 Figure 1: Bing. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://www.bing.com/images/search?               q=concussions
Figure 2: Bing. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=CTE
Figure 3: Rest - Google Search. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from https://www.google.com/search?q=doctor                       telling patient to sit out
(4). B. (2015). What is CTE? Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://concussionfoundation.org/learning-center/what-                       is-cte