Contact sports are big in Texas (like everything else, right?) and many parents, perhaps yourself included, love to cheer for their children as they participate on local school and community teams. From pee-wee football on up through high school and college, football itself is one of the most frequently played sports there is. Your child might also be involved in one or more other frequently played sports, including hockey, soccer or basketball.
Although each of these sports have different rules and regulations, they also have some things in common. For instance, if your son or daughter plays soccer, basketball or football, he or she is going to do a lot of running. Such activities also have a few negative things in common, such as risk for injury, especially concussion and other brain injuries.
Beware the dangers of repetitive head injuries
If your child is pulled out of a game due to a head injury, he or she may be back on the field within a few weeks. Coaches and other sports instructors are obligated to inform players and parents of all the brain risks associated with a particular sport. The following list is comprised of basic medical facts regarding repeated head injuries. Arming yourself with information ahead of time may help prevent disaster:
- Second impact syndrome refers to those who have not fully recovered from head trauma before taking other blunt force trauma to the head.
- The potential cognitive damages from repeated concussions is becoming increasingly well-known.
- The symptoms of severe brain injury may not appear right away.
You probably already know that the best thing to do if your child suffers a blow to the head during a sporting event is seek immediate medical attention. Initial symptoms, or those delayed, might include light headed feelings, confusion, the inability to form coherent speech, and head pain.
There is much about repeated head injury syndromes that is not yet known. Keep a close watch on your child after he or she has taken a hard blow to the head. If you think something is not right, you should schedule an appointment with a doctor to determine whether a brain injury exists.
Beyond that, however, you may also want to seek justice, if you believe someone's negligence was a leading causal factor in your son or daughter's brain injuries.