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IN MEDICAL ROUNDS – IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME- BACK-TO-SCHOOL AND THAT ALSO MEANS SPORTS ACTIVITIES ARE KICKING IN TO HIGH GEAR.
BUT BEFORE YOUR CHILD TAKES TO THE FIELD YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND POTENTIAL INJURIES, ESPECIALLY CONCUSSIONS.
JOINING US IS DR. SUBRAMANI SEETHARAMA, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE HARTFORD HOSPITAL REHABILITATION NETWORK WITH IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND ADVICE FOR ALL PARENTS OF ATHLETES…GOOD EVENING DR. SEETHARAMA.
Q. FIRST, WHAT IS A CONCUSSION?
A. A concussion is a mild form of a traumatic brain injury. Symptoms of a concussion include the following:
• Dazed or confused after your injury
• Lost consciousness (knocked out)
• Can’t remember what happened for a short time before or after your injury
• Nausea/Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Stumbling or clumsiness
• Disorientation
• Double or fuzzy vision
• Headache
• Unusual drowsiness
• Slurred Speech
The effects of a concussion can be serious.
Q. WHAT CAUSES A CONCUSSION?
A. Concussions are caused by a direct blow or sudden jolt to the head, face or neck. This could result from a fall, a tackle in a contact sport, assault, vehicle accident, walking or running into an obstacle, skateboarding, snowboarding, explosion…and the list goes on.
Q. WHEN SHOULD YOU TAKE A CHILD OUT OF A GAME IF YOU THINK HE/SHE HAS HAD A CONCUSSION?
A. A child should be taken out of the game immediately if they have experienced a hard blow/head injury/neck injury. I always say, ‘When in doubt, take them out.’
Q. TELL US ABOUT THE CONCUSSION CLINIC? WHAT IS OFFERED?
A. The Concussion Clinic consists of a multi-disciplinary team approach to treating this type of condition. We have speech pathologists, physical therapists, clinical psychologists, as well as physiatry all dedicated to treating concussions.
First, the child will undergo a comprehensive evaluation which includes:
• History of injury
• Symptoms
• Checklists of physical characteristics (sleep, cognition, risk factors)
• Objective concussion test measurements
• Follow-up action plan
• Return-to-sports/play instructions
Treatment options include the: Vestibular rehab and Balance, Buffalo treadmill test, exertion protocol, Cognitive Behavioral therapy.
THANK YOU, DR. SEETHARAMA FOR SHARING SUCH IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN TO KNOW THIS TIME OF YEAR….IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE…CALL 1-855-HHC-HERE.
Insurance Accepted*
Aetna, Anthem, BCBS Medicare, Cigna Healthcare, Colonial Cooperative Care, Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc., Connecticare, Connecticare Commercial, Connecticare Medicare, Corvel, Coventry, Essence Healthcare, Evercare, First Health Group Corp., Focus, Harvard Pilgrim, Health Connecticut, Health Direct, Health New England, Healthy Connecticut, HMC/ Northeast Healthcare, Medspan Commercial, Medspan Medicare, Multiplan, Northeast Health Direct, One Health Plan/ Great-West Healthcare, Oxford Health Plans, Prime Health Services, Private Health Care Systems, Inc., Senior Whole Health, United Healthcare, WellCare of Connecticut, Inc.