The Dangers of a Concussion
When I was 19 years old, a frisky horse threw me and I landed on my head.
I woke up sitting on my friend's bed, having no memory of walking across the field with her to her house, and no understanding of how I had come to visit her.
Her answers to my questions gradually made sense as my comprehension returned.
After this concussion, I noticed I have trouble speaking fluently if I am very tired or stressed.
I was fortunate.
I was not taken to the emergency department to check for a skull fracture or brain bleed.
My friend was a veteran of the rodeo circuit and said she had never seen anyone thrown as hard as I was.
Her guilty-looking horse knew he had made a big mistake.
Concussions are potentially dangerous.
A new study found high school-age athletes are more likely than younger kids to have sports-related concussions, but the rate of such injuries in both groups is on the rise.
During a ten-year period, from 1997 to 2007, emergency department visits for concussion in kids aged 8 to 13 playing organized sports doubled.
Emergency department visits increased by more than 200 percent in older teens, according to the report.
Concerned about the rate of head injuries, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines on what to do about sports-related concussions, with advice for both parents and physicians.
The study and guidelines are published online and in the September print issue of Pediatrics.
Parents should be aware that it is dangerous for an athlete to return to the playing field the same day he or she has a concussion.
Injured players should be seen by a physician.
Concussions can result in intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral edema, and permanent damage.
Consider these actual cases involving school nurses.
In the first case, the school nurse became a defendant when a child hit her head on the wall.
The school nurse was not clear enough to the parents about the need to have the child checked in an ER instead of going home.
The child suffered a catastrophic brain injury; the plaintiff won the case.
The award was in the millions.
In the second case, a college student was hit in his head during a soccer game, passed out, and was taken to the infirmary where an orthopaedic surgeon and college nurse examined him.
Although they both advised him to go to the ER, he refused and went back to his dorm.
A day later his roommate found him unresponsive and took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a catastrophic brain injury.
The judge dismissed the case against the defendants during trial.
The financial value of head injury cases is largely dependent on the liability issues and the extent and permanency of the damages.
School personnel will need to be familiar with these guidelines so they obtain the urgent medical attention needed after a concussion.
A delay in recognizing the development of swelling or bleeding can lead to permanent injuries.
I woke up sitting on my friend's bed, having no memory of walking across the field with her to her house, and no understanding of how I had come to visit her.
Her answers to my questions gradually made sense as my comprehension returned.
After this concussion, I noticed I have trouble speaking fluently if I am very tired or stressed.
I was fortunate.
I was not taken to the emergency department to check for a skull fracture or brain bleed.
My friend was a veteran of the rodeo circuit and said she had never seen anyone thrown as hard as I was.
Her guilty-looking horse knew he had made a big mistake.
Concussions are potentially dangerous.
A new study found high school-age athletes are more likely than younger kids to have sports-related concussions, but the rate of such injuries in both groups is on the rise.
During a ten-year period, from 1997 to 2007, emergency department visits for concussion in kids aged 8 to 13 playing organized sports doubled.
Emergency department visits increased by more than 200 percent in older teens, according to the report.
Concerned about the rate of head injuries, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines on what to do about sports-related concussions, with advice for both parents and physicians.
The study and guidelines are published online and in the September print issue of Pediatrics.
Parents should be aware that it is dangerous for an athlete to return to the playing field the same day he or she has a concussion.
Injured players should be seen by a physician.
Concussions can result in intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral edema, and permanent damage.
Consider these actual cases involving school nurses.
In the first case, the school nurse became a defendant when a child hit her head on the wall.
The school nurse was not clear enough to the parents about the need to have the child checked in an ER instead of going home.
The child suffered a catastrophic brain injury; the plaintiff won the case.
The award was in the millions.
In the second case, a college student was hit in his head during a soccer game, passed out, and was taken to the infirmary where an orthopaedic surgeon and college nurse examined him.
Although they both advised him to go to the ER, he refused and went back to his dorm.
A day later his roommate found him unresponsive and took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a catastrophic brain injury.
The judge dismissed the case against the defendants during trial.
The financial value of head injury cases is largely dependent on the liability issues and the extent and permanency of the damages.
School personnel will need to be familiar with these guidelines so they obtain the urgent medical attention needed after a concussion.
A delay in recognizing the development of swelling or bleeding can lead to permanent injuries.
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