Listen Up, Athletes and Parents!
It's summertime and that means it's time to play ball -- and we all know that means more than baseball. It means street hockey, basketball in the park, riding bikes, skateboarding, and if you're really lucky (in my opinion, of course) taking the dirt bikes out to Rampart Range for some camping and riding. Yet with all that fun, there remains an inherent risk that you'll get injured -- more specifically a concussion.
Notice how I didn't even mention football? That's because, according to the CDC's latest report, 54 percent of traumatic brain injury-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths among children ages 0 to 14 were caused by falls.
So what should you do should you suspect you or someone you know has had a concussion? Well, that's a bit of a grey area for the grey matter, but it's always best practice to get checked out by a medical professional. If left untreated, concussions can lead to serious mental and physical impairments like post-traumatic headaches, vertigo, second impact syndrome (can result in fatal brain swelling), depression, amnesia, poor academic performance, and others.
The good thing is, though, you don't necessarily have to go straight to the ER and foot the bill. If you're unsure whether or not you may have a concussion, go to urgent care or get a quick appointment with your GP. They'll be able to guide you from there and you'll save quite a bit of money.
However, if the person has lost consciousness, has a seizure, is nauseous, or vomits, then an ER visit is an absolute must because they may need more advanced trauma care and most likely a CT scan.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever had complications from a concussion and want to get the word out? Let us know in the comments below!
