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Your summer has no doubt been filled with baseball or soccer practices and games on the weekend. We cannot think of a better summer for your kids than being active and getting outside! Now as we move into fall, we move into another fun, but sometimes nerve-wracking sport for parents: football. As enjoyable as Friday night football games are, football is a high-intensity contact sport. It can put a lot of wear-and-tear on the body, something that all athletes, especially long-time players, should keep in mind. There is always some risk of injury when playing sports, specifically head injuries, and these are more common than many athletes and parents realize. As we transition to football season, here are some important points to remember if you or your child sustains a head injury, and you’re wondering whether or not to go see a doctor.

Loss of Consciousness

If the impact of a person’s head injury causes a loss of consciousness, or if that occurs in the aftermath, do not hesitate – get to the emergency room immediately. Even though concussions are generally the most common sports-related head injury, the Mayo Clinic reports that concussion victims do not often lose consciousness, but only in more rare cases. Since it’s not often that we lose consciousness due to force, if anyone is out for even less than a minute, that alone is cause for concern, and you should have everything looked at. Being unconscious for any amount of time could signify deeper head trauma, and should be addressed by a medical professional immediately.

Intense Physical Reactions

If after sustaining a head injury, the person experiences intense, abnormal physical reactions, you should get them to a doctor at once. This could include anything from significant pain in the head, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, powerful vomiting, trouble with vision (or any of the other senses), to even more frightening cognitive issues. Cognitive issues especially can worry parents, because they can include loss of memory, changes in their child’s temperament, mental state, slurred speech, and other signs that are clear indicators that things are not right. Especially when the head injury victim is a child, you need to swing even more to the side of safety and caution, as the brain is still growing and developing. As a parent, if you have any doubts, you should automatically take your child in to see a medical professional. When it comes to someone’s head, whether they’re a child or an adult, don’t take any chances.

Join TryMunity

TryMunity is an online community for survivors of traumatic brain injury and their families. On the site, TBI victims can network, share their stories, update each other on their recovery processes, and more. For more information on TryMunity or to learn more about brain injury, visit us online today at http://www.trymunity.com/.