Child Brain Injuries: Increased Risk & Concern

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that emergency rooms and hospitals throughout the country have seen a 60% increase in the number of visits for adolescent and child brain injuries. The significant rise in visits is likely due to the increased awareness of the harm caused by brain injuries, but many medical professionals believe that brain injuries are still underreported.

Rise in Child Brain Injury May Be Due to Sports

The majority of the brain injury visits to the emergency room for children between the ages of 1 to 19 were due to sport-related or activity-related injuries. However, children can also suffer a life-threatening traumatic brain injury in a car accident, pedestrian accident, or bicycle accident.

Parents must be alert to the warning signs of a brain injury including:

• Head or neck pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Difficulty walking or speaking
• Limited mobility
• Sleepiness or lethargy
• Trouble breathing

After a sports injury or a car accident with the possibility of a brain injury, parents should immediately help their child seek medical emergency attention. Concussions especially are very serious injuries. If untreated, they can lead to additional health problems or even death. Brain injuries in children take longer to heal and often require medical intervention to lessen the long-term symptoms of memory loss and behavior and learning problems.

Long-Term Consequences of Child Brain Injury:

• Impaired motor skills
• Slow thinking
• Poor communication
• Depression
• Short-term memory deficits
• Lack of motivation
• Difficulty controlling emotions

Tips to Minimize Sports Brain Injury

Sports are a great way to encourage development in children. They teach teamwork, interdependence, perseverance, and good sportsmanship. While some sports are more injury-prone than others, there are steps you as parents can take to ensure your child’s safety. If your child is playing a contact and collision sport, such as lacrosse, hockey, or football, talk to the coach and ask what steps he/she takes to reduce the risk of injury. Some of these may be a limit on full-contact practices, better equipment, neck strengthening exercises, and head impact exposure monitoring. Also, delaying the start of contact and collision sports until your child is older and more safety-conscious. This may ensure your child’s safety in the long run.

Reach Out to The McClellan Law Firm for Guidance!

No matter how the brain injury is sustained, anyone who receives a brain injury, especially at a young age, is put at risk for more health risks such as this later in life. If the injury was caused by someone else's negligence, the consequences for the victim can include expensive medical bills and long-term injury. Obtaining proper compensation following a brain injury is significantly easier with the help of an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney. Contact us today for a free initial consultation!