What if I Have a Head Injury?
If you hurt your head while playing a sport, stop playing immediately.
A coach should know to take you off the field. But if you don't have a coach, or your
coach doesn't pull you from play, take yourself out of the game.
If you're skiing or snowboarding, get the ski patrol to help you down the hill.
If you're skateboarding or biking, stop riding. Don't take a chance on hurting
your head again. A second head injury can lead to a condition called second-impact
syndrome. Second-impact syndrome doesn't happen very often, but it can cause
lasting brain damage and even death.
If you hurt your head playing organized sports, a coach or athletic trainer may
examine you right after your injury. This is known as sideline testing
because it might happen on the sidelines during a game. Sideline testing is common
in schools and sports leagues. By watching you and doing a few simple tests, a trained
person can see if you need medical care.
Lots of schools or sports leagues test players at the start of a sports season
to measure their normal brain function. These tests are called baseline concussion
tests. Coaches, trainers, or doctors often compare these baseline results
against sideline tests to see if a player's brain is working OK.
What Are the Signs of a Concussion?
If you were playing a sport and banged your head but didn't see a doctor when it
happened, be alert for signs of a concussion. Concussions don't always show up right
away. It can take up to 3 days for signs to become obvious.
See a doctor as soon as you can if think you might have a concussion and develop
any of these problems:
- headache
- dizziness
- feeling sick or throwing up
- difficulty with coordination or balance
- blurred vision
- slurred speech or saying things that don't make sense
- feeling confused and dazed
- difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making decisions
- trouble remembering things
- feeling sleepy
- having trouble falling asleep
- sleeping more or less than usual
- feeling anxious or irritable for no apparent reason
- feeling sad or more emotional than usual
When Can I Return to Play After a Concussion?
The #1 question athletes ask after a concussion is how soon they can start playing
again. The answer is simple: When a doctor tells you it's OK.
Concussions can be tricky: You might feel fine, but your thinking, behavior, and/or
balance may not be back to normal. Only a doctor can tell these things for sure.
It's essential to wait until the doctor says it's safe to return to sports. But
people sometimes feel pressure to start playing again — they worry about letting
down the team or they feel pushed by a coach. That's one reason why most U.S. states
have rules about when kids and teens can start playing sports again after a concussion.
These rules are there to protect players so they're not pushed into getting back in
the game too soon — when the risk of re-injury is high.
There are a number of ways doctors can tell if someone is ready to return to play.
A doctor will consider you healed when:
- the signs and symptoms of concussion are gone
- you regain all of your memory and concentration
- you don't have symptoms after jogging, sprinting, sit-ups, or push-ups
When your doctor gives you the OK to start playing sports again, ease back into
things. Stop playing right away if any symptoms return (that second-impact syndrome
thing again). With the right diagnosis and treatment, most teens with concussions
recover within a week or two without lasting health problems.