Sports Related Head Injuries in School Age Kids

Sports in schools contribute 21% of the overall head injuries in children. Most cases vary from mild physical trauma such as laceration to severe TBI, which leads to a coma or death. It’s the responsibility of the parents and teachers to ensure that the safety measures of the children are prioritized to avoid such cases.

Such measures include educating the personnel responsible with basic first aid skills to differentiate when the head trauma is severe and when it’s a TBI case that requires immediate medical attention. This article explores sport-related head injuries in school-age kids.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

This form of head injury is caused by shock or blow to the head, which disrupts the normal functioning of the head. When the head is hit violently and suddenly by an object or the object penetrates the brain tissue during sports, it can result in TBI. Depending on the extent of the injury, the TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe. A mild traumatic brain injury can lead to unconsciousness with an indefinite change in the mental state or even death. If a child experiences this symptom during or after sports, consider seeking immediate medical attention.

■ They experience speech difficulties.

■ They Lack a sense of taste or change in hearing ability and are hypersensitive to light or sound

■ They lack the ability to control their movement and lose balance

■ They experience constant recurring headache

Some of the sports known to cause this include Football, Skateboards, Baseball, Trampolines, soccer, and the Playground equipment.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a disease caused by concussions or repeated head injuries in the past during sports. CTE often occurs after years and consists of cognitive deficits such as memory disturbances, learning disability, and mental illness such as the child can become suicidal or fall into depression. The disease can get severe, leading to patients experiencing dementia. It can also lead to extrapyramidal disorders and a lack of balance.

Coma

During sport, if a child is hit violently by an object or an accident occurs during the activities, it can result in a coma. A coma is a profound state of unconsciousness where the individual is alive but cannot respond to their environment. Most of the brain functions are impaired, making them unable to respond to simple commands. However, the brain maintains the body’s critical functions, such as blood circulation and breathing.

Concussions

Concussions occur when the brain is shaken within the skull, causing severe injuries to neurons and nerves. This happens mainly in both interaction and noncontact sports. Sports concussions result from a direct blow on any body part, including the face and the neck, that transmits the impulse to the brain.

Trauma can also result from impaired neurological functions, which can be short-lived. However, with the growth of technology, physicians can use a 25 minutes testing program installed on special computers to manage the concussions related to sports.

Conclusion

The above are some significant head injuries that children can experience in sports. If a child shows signs of any of the above, they should receive immediate medical care and seek legal help from an injury law firm experienced in head concussions. It is vital to educate the children on safety measures to ensure they take precautions when participating in sports.

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