Collin County Living Well Magazine September/October 2016 | Page 15

Protecting Student Athletes
from Long Term
Brain
Injuries
Courtesy OrthoTexas

D

espite increased education
and heightened awareness
about the risks of playing
football, injuries associated
with the brain are still occurring at the rate of one in every 5.5
games. A staggering 20% of all high
school football players sustain traumatic brain injuries, yet the culture among
student athletes shows a low instance
of reporting such injuries. Many high
school athletes state the team as “being more important than their personal health” and the stigma of “letting
down their team” leads many athletes
to return to the field before fully recovering from a traumatic brain injury, or
worse, not being treated for their injuries at all. It is imperative that parents
of high school athletes fully understand
the warning signs of a concussion and
remain vigilant in policing their child’s
well-being to keep them safe from long
term injury.
For males, the leading cause of high
school sports concussion is football;
for females the leading cause is soccer.
According to the CDC, a concussion is
defined as a type of traumatic brain injury- or TBI –caused by a bump, blow,
or jolt to the head or by a hit to the
body that causes the head to bounce
around or twist in the skull, stretching
and damaging the brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain.
A concussion changes how the brain
normally functions and can have serious and long-term health effects.
Signs and symptoms of a concussion include: headache, nausea,
fatigue, confusion or memory problems, sleep disturbances, or mood
changes. Symptoms are typically noticed after the injury but some might
not be recognized until days or weeks
later.
Signs your child needs emergency care include any of the following symptoms: one pupil dilated larger

than the other, drowsiness or inability to wake up, a headache that gets
worse, vomiting, convulsions, loss of
consciousness for any amount of time,
slurred speech, decreased coordination, unusual behavior, or increased
confusion.
The first step in concussion vigilance is
to take preventative measures.
Inspect your athlete’s helmet for prior
damages and ensure it fits properly.
Consult a specialist for a baseline concussion evaluation prior to the season.
A baseline evaluation allows for a
more accurate diagnosis of your

child’s symptoms should an injury occur. Even if you are unable to have a
baseline completed before your child’s
sport begins, immediately consult a
concussion specialist if your child receives a blow to the head or is exhibiting any TBI symptoms. Keep in
mind that up to 86% of athletes that
suffer a concussion will experience
Post-Traumatic Migraine or some other
type of headache pain. Track your
child’s headache pain an