Making Sense of Head Injuries in Young Athletes
Making Sense of Head Injuries in Young Athletes
The signs and symptoms of concussion include physical, cognitive, and emotional elements. The fallacy most commonly perpetuated regarding concussive injury is that a complete LOC is required for a concussion to have occurred. This is the main factor that results in the underdiagnosis of concussion. Diagnosis can include 1 or more of the following:
Another frequently cited falsehood is that a concussion must involve a blow to the head. A concussion may occur with any trauma of significant force to the neck, face, or jaw or a force that can be transmitted to the head, as is the case with the whiplash-type injuries frequently seen in running sports. Thus, it is essential that trainers, coaches, and health care providers maintain vigilance for the possibility of concussive injuries, even in situations that do not appear to have been associated with a significant blow to the head or high-energy injury to the upper body.
Diagnostic Cues
The signs and symptoms of concussion include physical, cognitive, and emotional elements. The fallacy most commonly perpetuated regarding concussive injury is that a complete LOC is required for a concussion to have occurred. This is the main factor that results in the underdiagnosis of concussion. Diagnosis can include 1 or more of the following:
Symptoms: somatic (headache), cognitive (feeling ''like in a fog''), or emotional (mood-associated alterations)
Physical signs (loss of consciousness, amnesia)
Behavioral changes (irritability)
Cognitive impairment (slowed reaction times)
Sleep disturbance (drowsiness)
Another frequently cited falsehood is that a concussion must involve a blow to the head. A concussion may occur with any trauma of significant force to the neck, face, or jaw or a force that can be transmitted to the head, as is the case with the whiplash-type injuries frequently seen in running sports. Thus, it is essential that trainers, coaches, and health care providers maintain vigilance for the possibility of concussive injuries, even in situations that do not appear to have been associated with a significant blow to the head or high-energy injury to the upper body.