Fresh research into head injuries in youths has exposed the problems that can affect kids for months after direct or indirect blows to the head in both team sports & individual pursuits.
Kevin Guskiewicz, a neuroscientist well-known to Space Clinics from the University of North Carolina, states that an average College American Footballer sustains around a thousand subconcussive blows a season-these are contacts that are significant enough to sustain cumulative damage, but not enough in themselves to have an immediate effect or cause symptoms. He describes this as a 'dose response', and states that these multiple blows only tend to show some time afterwards.
American Football accounts for half of youth concussions, but with the gender-discrimination busting Title IX giving girls equal access to sports, it also opened up unprecendented injury risk. No surprise then that girls' football (soccer as it's called in USA) claims 12% of all youth concussion in team sports, basketball 7% & volleyball at 1.1% (that was for you Kenny!).
However solo activities such as biking, ice skating, snowboarding, skateboarding & playground recreation also cause a third of all of the child concussions.
So far, so short term. However, more worryingly there can be attention deficits,memory lapses, fatigue, forgetfulness, headaches and possible needs to seek additional help at school for up to a year following concussion!
A new Ohio study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published online March 5, 2012. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.1082) demonstrates that functional changes can occur at 3 and 12 months post injury in a population of 8-15 year olds (285 participants divided into a concussive group and an orthopaedic group for comparison). In addition abnormalities in neuro-imaging could also be detected. 80% of the post mild head injury group came from sports of some kind, the remainder from road traffic accidents, falls or other traumas.
Here's some online information in the shape of a TIME Magazine special:TIME Magazine Health Special: Kids and Concussions
To read up on other blog posts on adult sporting concussion then check out our blog here as it contains links to all of the postings we ran last year on the subject: Space Clinics Blog on Sidney Crosby Concussion
Kevin Guskiewicz, a neuroscientist well-known to Space Clinics from the University of North Carolina, states that an average College American Footballer sustains around a thousand subconcussive blows a season-these are contacts that are significant enough to sustain cumulative damage, but not enough in themselves to have an immediate effect or cause symptoms. He describes this as a 'dose response', and states that these multiple blows only tend to show some time afterwards.
American Football accounts for half of youth concussions, but with the gender-discrimination busting Title IX giving girls equal access to sports, it also opened up unprecendented injury risk. No surprise then that girls' football (soccer as it's called in USA) claims 12% of all youth concussion in team sports, basketball 7% & volleyball at 1.1% (that was for you Kenny!).
However solo activities such as biking, ice skating, snowboarding, skateboarding & playground recreation also cause a third of all of the child concussions.
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| TIME Magazine Health Special Concussion Graphic |
A new Ohio study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published online March 5, 2012. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.1082) demonstrates that functional changes can occur at 3 and 12 months post injury in a population of 8-15 year olds (285 participants divided into a concussive group and an orthopaedic group for comparison). In addition abnormalities in neuro-imaging could also be detected. 80% of the post mild head injury group came from sports of some kind, the remainder from road traffic accidents, falls or other traumas.
Here's some online information in the shape of a TIME Magazine special:TIME Magazine Health Special: Kids and Concussions
To read up on other blog posts on adult sporting concussion then check out our blog here as it contains links to all of the postings we ran last year on the subject: Space Clinics Blog on Sidney Crosby Concussion
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