When a child’s head injury is diagnosed as a “concussion,” parents tend to be less alarmed about the severity of the damage. When the diagnosis is described as a “brain injury,” they take it more seriously.
That difference in attitude was noted in research published in the February issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
A concussion is a head injury in which there is bruising of the brain, but not permanent damage or bleeding, according to the AAP. Loss of consciousness may or may not occur. Common symptoms include confusion, dizziness, headache, unsteadiness, nausea, vomiting or feeling “foggy.”
But researchers found that the word “concussion” is strongly associated with earlier discharge from the hospital as well as an early return to school and other activities.
Because of the recent re-examination of the potential long-term effects of concussions, and recommendations that athletes delay returning to sports such as football and hockey after a concussion, the AAP is recommending that physicians use more specific descriptors of brain injuries when issuing a diagnosis.
“We’re really trying to change the jargon,” says Banner Good Samaritan injury prevention coordinator Paula Segebarth, R.N., who notes that March is National Brain Injury awareness month.
Young athletes especially may face considerable emotional pressure to get back in the game, and kids aren’t always completely honest in revealing their symptoms. “They want to get back in and play,” she says.
When is it okay to get back in the game? Segebarth says it depends on the individual. Parents of a child of any age who has suffered head trauma should be sure to ask their child’s doctor when normal activity can safely be resumed.
