The Centers for Disease Control estimate that one in ten athletes will suffer a sports-related concussion this year—a statistic that is likely much higher given the number of head injuries that continue to go unrecognized and under-reported.
A lot of youth athletes, especially as they get older and the sport gets more competitive, are afraid that if they admit they are hurting they’ll be benched or kicked off the team entirely. For many years sports coaches and parents had built an attitude that pain somehow equaled weakness and that admitting you were injured was like admitting defeat. Obviously times are changing but there is still enough remnants of that attitude for athletes to work through. One sports injury that has been getting a lot of attention in the past few years, from local youth sports all the way up to the pros is concussions. Even what looks to be a mild bump can be serious, especially if it goes undiagnosed and untreated and that athlete gets hit a second time. And while contact sports like football and hockey are probably the most likely sport to cause concussions in youth athletes, concussions can happen in ANY sport.
Even if you know nothing about sports injuries, it’s easy enough to know you need to pull a kid off the field and get them medical attention when they are unconscious, but did you know that most concussions occur WITHOUT loss of consciousness? Here are a few signs an athlete suffering from a concussion might show even if they are still conscious:
- Appears dazed or stunned
- Moves clumsily
- Answers questions slowly
- Nausea or vomiting
- Balance problems or dizziness
- Double or blurry vision
- Sensitivity to light and noise
While playing through the pain can be a good lesson for youth athletes to learn (perseverance and determination are almost always good things!), it’s also important that we teach athletes to respect their body and its limitations and know when to stop.