Dr. Kirk has expertise and experience in working with children and adolescents who have sustained sports-related concussions. Through the use of neuropsychological tests which measure memory, attention, processing speed, and reaction time, Dr. Kirk will work with your treating physician to determine when your child has fully recovered and it is safe to return to play.
Are concussions common in sports?
- 1 out of 10 high school athletes who participate in contact sports will sustain a concussion each season.
- It is estimated that up to 20% of high school football players will sustain a concussion per season.
- Younger athletes are at a higher risk for sustaining a concussion.
What is a concussion?
- A concussion occurs when there is a physical blow to the body or head causing an injury to your brain.
- Shortly after a concussion, the athlete may experience many cognitive, physical, and emotional symptoms.
Concussion Signs and Symptoms
- Appears dazed or confused
- Answers questions slowly
- Personality/behavior change
- Forgets plays prior to hit
- Forgets plays after hit
- Anterograde amnesia (not clearly recalling events after concussion)
- Loss of consciousness
- Persistent headaches
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Balance difficulties
- Double or blurry vision
- Sensitivity to light and/or sounds
- Feeling sluggish or foggy
- Changes in sleep pattern
- Memory and/or attention problems
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What are the risks of returning too soon after a concussion?
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- You should never return to physical exertion while your brain is still healing.
- Even after a mild concussion, if an athlete returns to physical exertion while still recovering, s/he is at significant risk for permanent brain injury, coma, or death.
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Second Impact Syndrome occurs when an athlete sustains a second concussion while still recovering from a previous concussion
- Athlete returns to competition before resolution of post-concussive symptoms
- A catastrophic increase in intracranial pressure occurs leading to massive brain swelling and potentially death
- Most often occurs in athletes less than 21 years-old
- Second Impact Syndrome has been shown to occur up to 14 days post-injury
How do I decide when is it safe for my child to return to sports activities?
- After a suspected concussion, your child should always be evaluated by a physician.
- Your physician will rely on your child's report of any lingering post-concussive signs/symptoms. Often an athlete can report being symptom-free but yet have impaired performance on measures of memory and attention.
- Your school athletic trainer or physician may recommend that you follow up with a neuropsychologist. Through measuring neuropsychological skills such as memory, attention, processing speed, and reaction time, Dr. Kirk can further assess whether your child has fully recovered from the concussion.
- The most sensitive way to use these neuropsychological tests, is to have your child complete a baseline test. With baseline testing, your child takes the neuropsychological tests before they sustain a concussion and if they sustain a concussion in the future, they are retested and compared to their pre-injury performance.
- Once your child's neuropsychological test results have returned to baseline levels or estimated baseline performance, and they are no longer symptomatic, s/he may be allowed to return to play on a graduated protocol.
- Neuropsychological tests often detect concerns even when the athlete reports that s/he is feeling better. Therefore, it is essential to consult with a neuropsychologist to determine that your child has fully recovered before returning to play.
Call today to have your child complete a baseline evaluation; it takes less than 30 minutes.
Dr. Kirk would be pleased to provide a free presentation on sports concussions and his role in managing sports concussions to your team or sports organization. |
