Orthopedics/Sports - November 2015 Archives

With fall sports wrapping up and winter sports starting soon, it’s important to discuss concussion management. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. Some head injuries may appear to be mild but research is finding that concussions can have serious, long-term effects, especially repeated head injuries or cumulative concussions. When a second concussion occurs before the first one has properly healed, an athlete may incur second impact syndrome. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates reveal that 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur each year and 5-10 percent of athletes will experience a concussion in any given sport season. Football is the most common sport with concussion risk for males at 75 percent whereas soccer is most common for females at 50 percent. It’s important to note that most concussions do not result in loss of consciousness and roughly 47 percent of athletes do not report feeling any symptoms after a concussive blow.