It is a regular point of discussion on the law blogs posted by your Charleston brain injury attorneys, the effects of concussions on children and adults, and a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience focuses on that very topic.
Researchers from the University of New Mexico and the Mind Research Network have found that the effects of a concussion on a child’s brain can last for months following the initial injury. According to a Huffington Post article, one of the study’s researchers has said this information may have “important implications about when it is truly safe for a child to resume physical activities that may produce a second concussion, potentially further injuring an already vulnerable brain.”
As parents of highly active children, your Charleston personal injury lawyers know that kids are anxious to get back out there and continue playing right after they’ve been hurt. But this study shows that kids may be returning to the activity that caused the concussion well before it is actually safe for them to do so. Even though signs and symptoms of their head injury are no longer present.
An unrelated study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has showed that emergency room visits for kids with concussions are increasing, up 60 percent since 2002. But that’s not an indication that kids are suffering more concussions and head injuries, says the interim director of the University of North Carolina’s Injury Prevention and Research Center. Rather, it shows that parents and coaches are taking the proper steps to getting kids treatment when they suffer a concussion.
Children, especially those active in physical activities, have always been susceptible to head and brain injuries. But the statistics and studies are showing that awareness of the injuries and the potential lingering effects has made a positive impact in that more adults are seeking treatment for their youngsters. Now adults, parents, and/or coaches need to ensure that putting the child back into the course of activity is not done hastily without giving the child’s brain time to heal.
For more information about the Journal of Neuroscience’s study, please see the source below, or click HERE to read the study’s abstract and options to reading it in its entirety.
Source(s): “Concussion Effects On Child’s Brain May Last Months After Injury: Study”
