ER Visits for Concussions in School Age Children

Interesting research study that looked at Emergency Room visits over a five year period for concussions in children ages 8-19.  About half of the 500,000 visits were for sports related brain injuries, including organized team sports and individual activities like snowboarding and cycling.

Since a person’s brain is still developing well in the late 20s, TBI in an 8 year old can have significant long term consequences.  The main author of the study recommends good prevention strategies like wearing protective helmets in all sporting activities.

I would also add baseline cognitive testing for all school age children.  Having a baseline comparison available will help in determining the level of cognitive deficit (if any) for a particular child after a concussion or other brain injury.