We can often take it for granted that kids will get concussions when they play sports growing up. We think, “It’s just a concussion”. We brush it off.
Unfortunately, many people don’t know that a concussion is actually a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Mild traumatic brain injuries can be quite serious and should not be taken lightly.
I encourage you to take the time to educate yourself about the potential risks of youth sports concussions: click here for a more in-depth discussion in my previous post, “What You Need to Know About Sports-related Injuries: Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Concussions”.
As you will read in the post mentioned above, there are about 18,000 sports-related mTBIs reported annually in Canada by teenagers between 12 and 19 years of age. Remember, this number does not include those concussions that are not reported.
I believe if more coaches, parents, and other adults knew more about concussions, we would be able to keep our young athletes safer and help them return to play safely after a full recovery. To that end, I recommend a fantastic free online training course, available on the Center for Disease Control website: Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports. I have personally completed this course to complement my other brain injury training.
What is Heads Up?
Heads Up is a free online course intended to teach adults more about sports-related concussions, how to recognize them, and how to respond. It takes less than a couple of hours to complete, but the knowledge is invaluable.
As the website details, the course will help you:
- Understand concussions and potential consequences
- Recognize concussion signs and symptoms
- Learn how to respond if you suspect a concussion
- Learn the steps for returning to activity (play, school, etc.) after the injury
- Learn how to be prepared for concussion and keep young athletes safe
Click here to view the Heads Up Online Training Course information page.
>> Roger R. Foisy is an Ontario personal injury lawyer experienced in mild traumatic brain injury cases. If you or a loved one have suffered a brain injury at another party’s fault, please contact us for immediate support and a free consultation.
*Roger R. Foisy has completed courses in Neurorehabilitation, Advanced Brain Injury Rehabilitation, and Understanding Neuropsychological Testing from Brock University. However, Roger R. Foisy is not a medical professional and the advice in this blog is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.
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