The statistics are alarming: each year, more than 80,000 American children are hospitalized with a brain injury. More than 11,000 of these children die because of this type of serious injury, making traumatic brain injury the number one cause of death and disability among American youth. Why is this so prevalent among child athletes and what is being done to prevent it?
Football, Soccer and Cheerleading Lead the Stats
As you might imagine, football is the most common sport that contributes to kids’ severe head injuries. This is not surprising, with concussions happening all too frequently when young players collide.
The statistics for soccer and cheerleading are a bit more surprising. Soccer injuries on the field often result in concussions. For girls, cheerleading is the number one cause of head injuries, especially for the kids who catch the other girls after they flip through the air.
What You Can Do to Prevent Your Child’s Sports-Related Injury
Some things you can do to prevent your child’s sports injury from becoming debilitating or life threatening are as follows:
If you witness an accident during a game, remove your child from the field immediately for medical evaluation.
- Visit the emergency room immediately if your child is unconscious, has loss of vision, decreased alertness, vomiting, or a sever headache.
- Visit your pediatrician or chiropractor if your child appears to have lingering symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, changes in behavior, continual pain, or emotional issues.
- Do not allow your son or daughter to return to his or her sport until it is cleared by a physician, after all symptoms have been resolved.
- Visit your chiropractor for natural treatment of symptoms and optimal spinal health.
- Make sure your children have properly fitted safety equipment.
Author
Dr. Jeanette Altieri
Dr. Jeanette Altieri is a licensed Chiropractor serving the Lawrenceville community for more than 20 years.She is certified in the Webster technique, a safe and gentle technique for turning breech babies, with specialty areas in Nutrition, Pediatrics, and Pregnancy. She is an international speaker, speaking to chiropractors, their families and staff about the care of infants, children, pregnancy and motivation. She also co-hosted a local radio talk show, “Health Talk,” to help educate people on the benefits of alternative therapies and wellness.
