A Dangerous Game: Student Athletes and Head Trauma

A DANGEROUS GAME Student Athletes and Head Trauma CONCUSSIONS ARE A HUGE RISK FOR STUDENT ATHLETES. EACH YEAR, 1.6 TO 3.8 MILLION SPORTS-RELATED CONCUSSIONS OCCUR, AND APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THOSE HOSPITALIZED WITH A HEAD INJURY ARE 24 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER. CONCUSSIONS ARE OFTEN NOT TREATED PROPERLY AND SOMETIMES NOT EVEN RECOGNIZED AT ALL. THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUFFERING A CONCUSSION WHILE PLAYING A CONTACT SPORT IS 19% PER YEAR OF PLAY. 21% ONLY 42% OF HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE CERTIFIED TRAINERS WHO KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH CONCUSSIONS. GIRLS HAVE A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF CONCUSSION THAN BOYS. In high school basketball, female concussions are more likely by: 240% BOYS GIRLS SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES CONTRIBUTE TO In high school soccer, female athletes suffer more concussions than APPROXIMATELY 21% OF ALL males by almost: TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES 40% BOYS AMONG AMERICAN CHILDREN. GIRLS TOP TEN SPORTS-RELATED HEAD INJURIES CYCLING BASEBALL WATER SPORTS SOCCER FITNESS 25% 14% 14% 11% 8% 7% 7% 6% 5% 5% FOOTBALL BASKETBALL POWERED RVs SKATEBOARDS/ SCOOTERS WINTER SPORTS SECOND IMPACT SYNDROME Second-impact syndrome (SIS) is a condition in which the brain swells rapidly and catastrophically after a person suffers a second concussion before symptoms from an earlier one have subsided. SUFFERING A SECOND CONCUSSION WHILE STILL HAVING SYMPTOMS FROM A PREVIOUS CONCUSSION CAN BE LETHAL. '50% OF ALL ATHLETES INJURED IN A SECOND IMPACT HAVE DIED. 41% 16% ONCE A CONCUSSION HAS OCCURRED, THE PLAYER BECOMES AS MUCH AS 4 TO6 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO SUSTAIN SECOND CONCUSSION. 41% OF CONCUSSED ATHLETES RETURN TO PLAY TOO SoN. 16% OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO LOST CONSCIOUSNESS DURING A CONCUSSION RETURNED TO THE FIELD THE SAME DAY. CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS CONCUSSIONS ARE DIFFICULT TO RECOGNIZE. Fewer than 10% of concussions result in loss of consciousness. CONFUSION NAUSEA VISION CHANGES DIZZINESS TINNITUS VOMITING HEADACHE IMMEDIATE SYMPTOMS LASTING SYMPTOMS POOR CONCENTRATION IRRITABILITY FATIGUE SLEEP DISTURBANCES MEMORY DISTURBANCES PERSONALITY CHANGES WHAT TO DO ATHLETES WHO SUSTAIN A PROLONGED LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS SHOULD BE TRANSPORTED IMMEDIATELY TO A HOSPITAL FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL WILL BE ABLE TO DECIDE WHEN IT IS SAFE TO RETURN TO SPORTS. THE DURATION OF SYMPTOMS AND THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF POST-TRAUMATIC AMNESIA (PTA) AND LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS (LOC) SHOULD BE NOTED. ATHLETES SHOULD NOT RETURN TO PLAY WITH A KNOWN OR SUSPECTED CONCUSSION UNTIL ROFESSIONAL. EVALUATED AND GIVEN PERMISSION BY AN APPROPRIATE HEALTH Concussions are particularly difficult to assess and manage because no consensus exists within the sports- medicine community as to which set of over 15 established guidelines is the most appropriate. Athletes suspected of suffering a concussion should be immediately evaluated by a medical professional. NURSING LICENSE MAP Nursing Licensure Made Simple brainline.org I pitt.edu | nashia.org I time | Ipch.org | aafp.org | sccnj.com l aoasm.org | aans.org | nih.gov | aafp.org I capenews.net design by francesca greggs & lemonwood design.