What is a Concussion?
A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow or contact to the head, or a violent shaking of the head and body. A concussion can sometimes lead to loss of consciousness and temporary brain function failure. Some symptoms of a concussion are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and blurred vision. Concussions are an enigma, there are no tests to guarantee a concussion only tests to see if brain trauma has occurred. There are no cures to a concussion, simply resting of the brain such as limiting contact, light, tv, screen time, and sports.
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What you will find on this page
Concussions in youth sports are becoming more of a concern for parents. How prevalent are concussions in youth sports? Are youth sports safe to play with the risk of concussions? What sports have the most risk? who is more at risk of concussions young girls or boys and what is the age group that is at the highest risk? These are some of the items that will be discussed on this page as well as my personal concussion experience and a head trauma study I was involved in after my concussion.
Video Explanation of Concussion |
Youth age groups at risk of concussionsThe highest age group of youth athletes at risk of concussions due to youth sports are 18 year olds. The lowest age groups of youth athletes at risk are 13 and 14 year old youth. The risk for 18 year olds was about two times greater. Youth that have had a concussion are 3-5 times more likely to have another concussion verses those youth that have not had a concussion. In the same sports girls had more than concussions than boys did. Girls are 1.5 times higher risk of a concussion than boys.
Which youth sport has the highest number of concussions?Are youth sports safe to play with a concussion risk?Due to the fact that youth are still growing they are at a higher risk for a concussion due to youth sports and more so in contact sports. However there are ways that will make the sports safer. Most youth sports now have protective equipment that is worn to protect the head and to prevent head injuries. Most sports now have coaches take a class to be aware of the signs of a concussion so that they know how to treat the players and follow protocol. There are protocols that are in place when a youth player does have a blow to the head. It comes down to the parents choice to make the decision if youth sports are safe.
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