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Your football player has on his pads and helmet to protect him from
bumps and bruises, but that may not always protect him from another
concern: concussions.
Second impact syndrome occurs when your athlete receives a second
head
injury before recovering from an initial mild brain injury within a
short period - - hours, days, even weeks. This can be catastrophic or
fatal.
“When a concussion occurs on top of one that's not fully healed, the
athlete can lose his auto regulation in the brain. This causes cell
death,” says James Kelly, MD, Emergency Medicine, at Children’s Mercy
Hospitals and Clinics.
New research finds severe brain injury, though rare, is much more
likely to occur in high school football players than in college
players.
Dr. Kelly says it's because more initial concussions can go
unrecognized. The athlete returns to the game when he shouldn't and
suffers the devastating second hits.
If you think your athlete has suffered a concussion, Dr. Kelly says
to look out for these warning signs:
- Concentration or memory problems
“They stumble over answers or are slow to respond to questions,” Dr.
Kelly says.
He says there are many ways to reduce the chances that your athlete
will have a concussion or a more serious brain injury. Dr. Kelly
recommends:
- Using the right protective equipment. It should be fitted and
maintained properly in order to provide the expected
protection.
- Follow the safety rules and the rules of the sport.
- Practice good sportsmanship.
- Don’t return to play with a known or suspected concussion until
he’s been evaluated and given permission by a health care
professional.
“If the athlete doesn’t allow time to heal, he could risk not playing
anymore. It's better for him to miss one game than miss the entire
season,” Dr. Kelly says.
