It's the last thing parents and coaches ever want to think about, but unfortunately, concussions do happen and they're certainly not something that should slip under the radar. It's very important to be educated about how to recognize when a youth player has suffered an injury of this type, and if so, what the next steps should be.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert Vik Kapil, DO, FACEP, a concussion in its most basic description is an injury to the brain caused by a blow or jolt to the head that disrupts the function of the brain in some way.
Signs and symptoms that a player has suffered a concussion can include appearing dazed or stunned, moving clumsily, answering questions slowly, losing consciousness (even briefly) and overall confusion. A youth player can also experience headaches, nausea, balance problems and blurred vision.
"Generally we do recommend that people seek medical attention right away if a child has sustained a jolt or a blow to the head and just doesn't seem right," Kapil said. "Calling a doctor and getting input from a physician or other health care provider is really important to have them evaluate the seriousness of the potential injury."
Kapil also stressed that children shouldn't be returned to any strenuous physical activity or even strenuous mental activities and emotional situations until an evaluation has been performed by a professional.
But concussions can be tricky because sometimes symptoms do not show themselves right away after a big play. So it is up to the parents of youth football players to make sure that they are able to identify when something is wrong. Because parents know their children better than anyone, they have the ability to see the subtle differences in behavior that can happen when an injury has occurred.
"Parents often see some changes and sometimes they're not as clear cut, sometimes they're changes in emotions or things like that," Kapil said. "So a day later or in the evening after the event is done and the injury itself has been forgotten, the child may be more irritable, may appear very anxious or they may even have disturbances in sleep for example.
"They could be sleeping more than normal, less than normal, having trouble falling asleep or become drowsy at unusual times of the day. Most importantly, the role of parents is to recognize these kinds of subtle changes, which are not nearly as obvious."
An athlete may not always realize that they have suffered a concussion either, especially if they aren't aware of what the signs and symptoms may be. Talking with a youth player before he or she takes the field can open up the lines of communication between parents and their child in the event that something should go wrong.
Although it can be somewhat uncomfortable for parents to discuss this issue, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert Marlena Wald, MPH, MLS, believes educating the athletes themselves can make it much easier when there actually is a problem.
"The athletes themselves need to learn about this long before they've ever had a head injury so that they can tell their coach or their parent, 'You know, I get up out of a chair and I'm dizzy like grandma,'" Wald said. "It's OK to talk about and learn about these things beforehand because if you tore a ligament or sprained your ankle you would definitely tell your coach and your parent.
"These are signs and symptoms that the athletes need to learn about so they can recognize it in themselves and say, 'Mom, dad, something isn't right.'"
It is also recommended that youth players not return to physical activity until being cleared by their physician. Athletes may feel pressure from their peers to return sooner than they should, so it's important to receive the nod from a professional to ensure the child can safely take to the field again.
"I think the bottom line for the parents on Saturday or Sunday after the big game is if they see any of these symptoms, even if their young athlete is not reporting it directly, seek medical attention right away," Wald said. "Tell them that you want them to not go to the practice Monday until you get to the doctor and get an assessment.
"Also talk to the coach and see his perspective because the coach on the bench is closer to the field of play than mom and dad up in the bleachers, so you can have a discussion about what he might have seen in the minutes after the quarterback sack. These are things that have to be done, so don't let that weekend pass without taking some steps."
