Concussion
Care for
Young
Athletes
About 1 in 10 young athletes who
participate in contact sports will experience
a concussion, or about 6 to 10 percent.
This translates to 1.8 to 3.6 million
concussions suffered by young
sports players per year in the
United States.
BY HEATHER HOLTSCHLAG
“T
Photo: muzsy / Shutterstock.com
he key to properly managing and treating concussions,
“We do not have a lot of information on how to prevent
whether the athlete has suffered one concussion or multiple
concussions, unfortunately,” Dr. Collins noted. “Helmets, for
concussions, is to seek treatment from the right kind of
instance, can help prevent injuries to the skull, but they cannot
specialist who knows how to use the right tools,” said Micky
prevent the brain from moving in the head.”
Collins, PhD, clinical and executive director of the UPMC Sports
Perhaps the best way to monitor the recovery period of a
Medicine Concussion Program, which is the largest concussion
concussion is with use of a tool called ImPACT (Immediate Postprogram in the country, seeing more than 14,000
Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing).
patient visits a year. “If concussions are not properly
“Though not a diagnostic tool, this test can tell us how
managed, they can lead to lasting problems.”
the brain is functioning and whether recovery has
“If concussions happened or not.”
Concussions are injuries in which the brain moves
inside of the skull. They have a wide variety of
But, tools like ImPACT are only one piece of the
are not
symptoms, about 23, according to Dr. Collins, though
puzzle when it comes to managing concussions.
properly
patients may not experience all of them, and they may
Treatment can include physical therapy to help treat
not be the same with subsequent concussions. The
symptoms of the injury and medications may be
managed,
list includes difficulty focusing in class, feeling dizzy
prescribed to help with mood, sleep, emotional or
they can lead cognitive concussion problems. Regular examinations
when standing, problems sleeping, vision problems,
ringing in the ears or nausea. “Because there are so
may be necessary, as well, to help promote successful
to lasting
many signs and symptoms, it is sometimes hard to
rehabilitation.
problems.”
understand what’s normal and what’s not. Additionally,
If concussions are managed properly and effectively
some kids may recover quite quickly, and some kids
before these young athletes return to play, “we can hit
— Dr. Collins the ‘reset’ button and can get kids back to health,” Dr.
may not,” Dr. Collins explained. “And though the
symptoms experienced by athletes who have suffered
Collins noted.
multiple concussions are the same, they may increase
The UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program
in intensity. For instance, the young athlete may begin to see his
offers a multidisciplinary approach to managing every aspect of a
grades drop or experience mood changes that can lead to anxiety or
young athlete’s concussion. It continues to set the standards of care,
depression or they could become very tired.”
developing concussion management protocols and return-to-play
Girls are just as prone to endure concussions as boys, with sports
guidelines adopted by other facilities throughout the United States.
like female hockey and cheerleading, according to Dr. Collins. Male
For more information about concussions and the UPMC Sports
sports in which concussions are commonplace include football,
Medicine Concussion Program, visit UPMC.com/Concussion or call
soccer, wrestling and hockey.
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