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The Consequences of Concussions: Is Your Child at Risk?

It is back to school time in Virginia, school sports are starting and young athletes are working hard for the win. However, school sports participants, their parents, physical education teachers and coaches need to know that student athletes are at risk of sports-related concussions and that without proper medical attention and treatment those sports concussions can have serious consequences.

Sharp Increase in Emergency Room Visits for Students with Concussions

A recent national study published in an August issue of Pediatrics indicates that emergency room visits for suspected concussions more than tripled among students aged 14 – 19 in the decade between 1997 and 2007*. For younger students, ages 8 – 13, the rate of emergency rooms more than doubled.

While these numbers may seem alarming, they are in reality, encouraging. The study points out that the number of concussions may not have increased, but that there is an increase in the number of student athletes who are seeking treatment for brain injuries. Treatment for brain injuries is essential to prevent serious and long-term problems.

Long-Term Consequences of Untreated Concussions

Concussions that are left untreated can result in significant problems. For student athletes, those problems may be compounded when a coach requires the student to return to the game before he or she is properly healed. Some of the symptoms of a serious concussion may include:

• Learning problems

• Memory problems

• Chronic pain and headaches

• Permanent brain damage

• Death

It Isn’t Only Student Athletes Who are at Risk

Student athletes are not the only group at risk for concussions and traumatic brain injuries. Car accident victims, victims of violent assaults and others are also at risk. The Virginia and Washington D.C. brain injury lawyers of Shevlin Smith are committed to helping people who have suffered serious brain injuries due to the negligence of others.

We understand that the person responsible for your brain injury may be the person who negligently caused the injury, the coach who encouraged you to return to the game too soon or the doctor who failed to recognize the symptoms of a concussion and treat you accordingly.

If you have suffered from a concussion, please contact our Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia accident lawyers for more information about your rights to a potential recovery.

*Source: Pediatrics, Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Published Online August 30, 2010, Emergency Department Visits for Concussion in Young Child Athletes Lisa L. Bakhos, MD, Gregory R. Lockhart, MD, Richard Myers, BS, James G. Linakis, PhD, MD

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