T. hit his head today at a match. He was removed from play, and was lucky enough to have a doctor do a sideline assessment. He sat out the rest of the match (not a popular decision.) He had head pain, felt nauseated, and “not right” (Don’t worry – he’s absolutely fine this evening. Still slightly annoyed he sat out, though.)
If an athlete – of any age – has sustained a head injury on the pitch, they should be removed from play and assessed. Any suspicion of concussion – that includes even the fact they had a significant impact even with no symptoms at the time – should mean no return to play that day.
Watch your child carefully (symptoms can change) and no sport for at least 24-48 hours. Any concerns? Don’t crowd source an opinion – get qualified medical assessment at an urgent care or ED. Docs commonly use SCAT or Child SCAT (for under 12s) which is a painless clinical test asking about the injury and symptoms, a physical exam and some simple tests like asking the child to remember things and do certain movements.
All sports in Ireland have written head injury #ReturnToPlay guidelines. If your child plays a sport, do you know these guidelines? They are available to read and review online on the website of your child’s sporting organisation. Many also offer free online training on head injury on their websites.
Signs of a more serious head injury: loss of consciousness (no matter how brief), neck pain, or more than one vomit. Players with these symptoms require urgent medical assessment.
Head injuries – especially in children and teens – need to be taken seriously. I commonly counsel my adolescent athlete-patients and their parents about the important role of the parent as an advocate for their child’s health when it comes to injury and sport. Especially concussion. Teach your child to tell someone immediately if they have sustained an head injury, to be a good teammate and call for a stop play if someone else is injured, and that they can trust you to help them not be pressured to “shake it off and get back out there.” (Link to previous discussion on this in comments.)
Symptoms of #Concussion in images. #IfInDoubtSitThemOut
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