Kids, Sports, and Concussion

A comprehensive summary of sport-related concussion for parents, coaches, and athletes that considers the physics behind the injury, identifies what can be done to reduce the risk of its occurrence, and describes how to respond to a suspected concussion. Concussion injury among athletes continues to be a subject of great concern. Increasing attention and research is focusing on the most vulnerable of athletes-children. What strategies can be taken to best protect young athletes in sports from grammar school football leagues to high school hockey and soccer teams from concussion? How do we treat youngsters who suffer head injuries in sports? What are the ethical considerations in allowing children to play such sports, given the risks to still-developing brains? In this updated and expanded guide, William Meehan, MD, explains simply and clearly how coaches, parents, and others who work with young athletes can recognize concussion; best help children and youths recover from concussion injuries; and take steps to become proactive to prevent concussion. Readers will learn what causes a sport-related concussion; what happens to brain cells during a concussion; and why concussion, which in the past was dismissed as a trivial injury, is taken so much more seriously now. The book explains how to decrease the risk of concussion; addresses the potential for cumulative effects from multiple concussions, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and discusses the ethical dimensions of deciding whether an athlete with multiple concussions should continue to participate in high-risk sports.

William Paul Meehan III, MD, is director of the Sports Concussion Clinic in the Division of Sports Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston, MA.

Foreword by Lyle J. Micheli, MD Acknowledgments Introduction 1. What Is a Concussion? 2. Sport-Related Concussion: How Common It Is 3. Risk Factors for Concussion: What Factors Are Associated with an Increased Risk of Sustaining a Concussion or Suffering a Long Recovery? 4. Sports Equipment: Helmets, Mouth Guards, and Concussion Prevention 5. New Medical Information: Why Concussion Is Taken So Seriously Now 6. "Neuropsychological" or "Neurocognitive" Testing: What It Is and Which Athletes Should Have It 7. The Acute Assessment and Management of Sport-Related Concussion: What Happens When an Athlete Sustains a Concussion 8. Potential Therapies: What Can Be Done to Help an Athlete Recover 9. Assessing Recovery from Concussion: When Is It Safe for an Athlete to Return to Sports? 10. The Ethical Considerations of Sports Participation: Should Children Be Allowed to Play a Sport That Carries a High-Risk of Concussion? 11. Prevention: Ways to Prevent an Athlete from Sustaining a Concussion 12. The Cumulative Effects of Concussion: How Many Is Too Many? 13. Preventing Long-Term Problems: Considering Whether the Cumulative Effects of Concussion Can Be Prevented 14. The Female Athlete: Are Girls and Boys Different When It Comes to Concussion? 15. Setting Up a Concussion Program 16. The Future: What Medical Research May Lead to in the Future 17. In Their Own Words: Athletes from the Sports Concussion Clinic of Boston Children's Hospital 18. Definitions and Team Members: Understanding Who Will Help Care for the Athlete with a Sport-Related Concussion Appendix Series Afterword, Julie K. Silver, MD Index