Determining If Your Child Has A Sports-Related Concussion: Tips For You

Health & Medical Blog

When you have a child that is involved in sports, you always want to make sure that you are doing everything in your power to keep them healthy and safe even as they participate in their sports of choice. One of the biggest worries that you may have about your child's health and safety is the possibility that they will suffer from a concussion. Rather than panic needlessly every time your child bumps their head out on the court or field, get to know some of the signs you can look out for to determine if your child has a concussion so that you can get them to a sports medicine doctor as quickly as possible for examination and follow-up.

Your Child Complains of Nausea or Vomits After a Hit to the Head

During practice or a game, your child may bump their head at any given time. However, one of the signs that you may need to worry about a concussion or possibly even a more severe head injury is that you child begins to complain that they feel queasy or have nausea. Depending on their age, they may simply complain that they do not feel well or their stomach hurts.

Regardless of the wording, if their stomach is bothering them after a bump on the head, they should see a physician immediately. The same goes for actual vomiting as well. In fact, if your child vomits after hitting their head, it is an emergency room you should head to as they may have a brain hemorrhage rather than a concussion.

They Experience Confusion or Fogginess for More than a Few Seconds

A hard hit to the head can certainly cause a little confusion or fogginess the instant it happens. This is true of injuries to other areas of the body as well. However, if your child remains confused or foggy after a few minutes or hours, you should keep a close and watchful eye on them.

These symptoms are signs of trauma to the brain that are indicative of a concussion. If they complain that they cannot focus, forget conversations that you have just had, cannot recall the date, cannot recite basic facts or the like, a trip to the doctor's office is likely necessary.

Should you happen to be there when the injury occurs, do not be afraid to pull your child aside on the sidelines and ask them some basic memory questions to ensure that they know what is going on and are not overly confused or out of it before they are allowed to get back in the game. Being proactive as possible is your prerogative as a parent.

Now that you know a few of the major signs that your child athlete has a concussion, you can be sure that you get them the emergency and follow-up medical care they need to stay healthy and get back to normal as soon as possible.

Talk to a center like Interior Alaska Orthopedic & Sports Medicine for more information.

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11 July 2016

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