Child injuries in Homestead and other communities often occur as a result of sports injuries. While sports can teach children discipline, teamwork, leadership, and other important skills and while sports are important for physical fitness, they can also pose dangers.
One of the most common dangers with childhood sports injuries in Homestead and across Florida involves head injuries. These types of injuries can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Since scientists are still only learning about the full dangers of traumatic brain injury, however, there are some questions about how dangerous even so-called minor head injuries are.
New studies have suggested that even concussions – long considered a less serious type of traumatic head injury – may be more serious than previously thought, especially for teenage and child patients. A study from Boston Children’s Hospital, for example, found that teenagers and children who have had a concussion before take longer to recover from a new head injury. The study also found that concussions in children are hard to miss with traditional testing; about 20% of the children in the study had neuroimaging tests which came back negative even though the children had a concussion.
In the past, it was thought that children could recover from a concussion in a week, but new tests show that it usually takes much longer. Any child who has symptoms such as blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, headache, vomiting, fatigue, memory loss, problems with concentration or speech, drowsiness or other problems associated with concussions should be checked by a doctor carefully and should be given both cognitive tests and physical tests. Children should also be told to stay away from sports and other higher-risk activities until they get a clear indication from a doctor that it is okay.
The Boston Children’s Hospital reveals some concerning news about childhood brain injuries. According to the researchers, about 8% of students who sustained a concussion were not instructed to stay away from sports, increasing their risk of re-injury.
If your child has sustained a head injury, even a so-called mild one, it is important to get a full evaluation from a physician. Some head injuries do not present any symptoms but can still be deadly. Even if your child feels better within a few hours or a week, it is important to get the all-clear before returning to regular sports activities. A secondary brain injury sustained before the first one has fully healed can be far more severe and recovery time will be much greater.
In addition to taking your child to the doctor, you may want to speak with a personal injury attorney in Homestead or your community. If your child’s injuries were caused by poor supervision or other types of negligence, you can pursue compensation for your child so that your child can get the best medical care possible.
If you would like to speak with a personal injury attorney about your child’s injuries, contact Flaxman Law Group today for a free case consultation. Flaxman Law Group is a full-service law firm in Homestead and we are proud to serve the entire South Florida area.