By Andrew Prine, Attorney David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The University of Michigan released a survey on Monday that revealed parents of school and youth athletes are highly unaware of the risks associated with sports-related concussions. However, these same parents support policies to minimize the dangers of concussions. Almost two-thirds of parents of athletes ages 12-17 worry their children will suffer from a concussion, but fewer than 1 in 10 have read or are knowledgeable about the topic. Most alarming, was that 50% or more parents said they knew other parents or coaches would place a child back into activity soon after suffering from a concussion.
The area of concussions has recently received high levels of scrutiny. There has been increasing evidence to suggest that repeated occurrences of concussions can result in significant risks later in one’s life. Doctors say that concussions present more dangers to youth than to adults: youths are more likely to sustain concussions, have a longer recovery time, and suffer a greater chance of long-term brain damage if a second concussion occurs before the child has had adequate time to recover from the first.
Parents are put in a unique position when it comes to the area of concussions – “they need to recognize symptoms of concussions and work with coaches and doctors to ensure appropriate healing,” said The Detroit News. Most concussions do not result in the loss of consciousness and visible symptoms may not occur until several hours after the incident. Also, young athletes who are concerned with playing time may lie to their coaches about their physical state of being. To read more about this topic see Parents need to be more informed about youth concussions.
Parents, coaches and even doctors need to educate themselves on concussions and appreciate that the injury is more than just loss of consciousness and vomiting. Parents should observe and listen to their children for signs that their child has sustain a concussion. Parents, coaches and doctors need to work together to ensure that children who sustain a concussion be evaluated before returning to any activity in which concussions can be associated.