Six tips to help your child recover from a concussion

Head injuries take time to heal. Treating a concussion means rest and a slow return to school and regular activities.

“Up to two million sports and recreation-related concussions occur annually among kids and teens,” says Dr. Kimberly Molik, an expert in pediatric concussion treatment at Wesley Children’s Hospital. “Even if your child takes every precaution, a concussion can still happen. That’s why it’s important to know how to recognize symptoms. Your child doesn’t have to have been knocked unconscious to have sustained a concussion.”

Dr. Molik says an athlete may not show signs right away. The following symptoms of concussion can appear within the first hours and even a few days after a head injury:

• Headache
• Blurred or double vision
• Dizziness or balance problems
• Confusion or sleepiness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Trouble with focus and memory
• Clumsiness or lack of coordination
• Trouble sleeping
• Mood or behavioral changes
• Sensitivity to noise or light or other vision issues

Kids don’t have to play a sport to experience a concussion. “A child that hits their head falling off a swing set or on playground equipment may have a concussion, but since it’s not sports-related they may fall through the cracks. If you think that your child has a concussion, notify your primary care provider for guidance.

Dr. Molik offers six tips to help your child recover from a concussion.

1. Seek medical attention

“If your child shows signs of a concussion, it’s important to see a doctor to get advice on treatment and exclude other more serious causes of the symptoms” Dr. Molik says.

Your healthcare provider will likely ask how and when the injury happened, inquire about symptoms, perform a physical exam and have your child do basic exercises to test balance, coordination, reflexes, memory and concentration.

If the concussion happens during a sporting event, a coach or athletic trainer may be capable of performing sideline testing to determine whether immediate medical care is warranted. However, if there’s any concern for a concussion, your child should stop playing until a full evaluation can be completed.

2. Parents and coaches should ease the child back into activity

“If your child suffers a concussion, we recommend that they should not return to contact sports right away,” says Dr. Molik. “We recommend activity based on the degree of symptoms.”

You’ll also want to avoid other activities that could lead to a second head injury such as trampolines or riding a bike without a helmet.

3. Return-to-school guidelines

Many children will have difficulty focusing on schoolwork while recovering from a concussion. Recognition of individual needs are important to ensure the student does not fall behind in academics yet continues the recovery process. Accommodations, such as early dismissal from each class so they have more time to get to the next one, additional breaks during long classes, reduced exposure to computers and videos, eating lunch in a quiet room instead of a noisy cafeteria, and postponing classes with a lot of noise such a gym, band, and shop until after the concussion has resolved.

4. Treat side effects as needed

“Even during recovery, some symptoms may hang around, particularly headache, nausea and sleep problems,” says Dr. Molik. Talk to your doctor about using over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help ease headaches, and the prescription drug ondansetron (Zofran) can relieve temporary nausea.

5. Seek medical help if symptoms persist

“Most of the time, concussions resolve within 2-4 weeks” says Dr. Molik. “But if multiple symptoms linger beyond that, your child should see a physician who specializes in concussions.”

Physicians who specialize in concussions can prescribe treatments like vestibular therapy to help improve balance or speech therapy to help strengthen memory and problem-solving skills. Your physician can also check to make sure that symptoms aren’t caused by another undiagnosed injury or condition.

Some concussion patients may develop symptoms of depression, either as a result of the injury itself or stemming from the stress, social isolation and inactivity that often results from it. If your child seems unusually sad, anxious or withdrawn, your doctor may make a referral to a mental health professional.

6. Try to prevent a second concussion

Dr. Molik says while there’s no way to guarantee that a concussion won’t happen again, there are things you can do to help keep your kids safe.

“The most important is to avoid activities that could increase their risk for repeated head trauma until they have fully recovered,” says Dr. Molik. “Having a second concussion during recovery from the first — a condition known as second impact syndrome.”

“We want parents and their young athletes to be educated about the seriousness of concussions and to encourage them to inform everyone around them — teammates, coaches, trainers, parents — if they’ve experienced a head injury and are having any symptoms,” Dr. Molik says.

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