SATURDAY, Sept. 13, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Millions of youngsters will soon be heading out to play football, and quite a few could well end up in the emergency room with injuries from the game.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 percent of all football injuries are concussions -- a brain injury caused by a blow to the head.
However, football isn't the only sport that causes concussions. Hockey, rugby and even soccer players are also at risk, reports the Ontario Brain Injury Association. Symptoms of a concussion include amnesia, memory loss, headache, confusion, poor coordination or vision difficulties. People who have suffered concussions do not necessarily lose consciousness.
Little can actually be done to treat a concussion, other than rest. However, it's crucial that a physician examine anyone who might have a concussion, so they can be sure no blood vessels in the brain were severed by the head injury.
The most important component of treating a concussion is making sure another one doesn't occur. That means that a person must be symptom-free for more than a week before returning back to any high-risk activities, such as playing football. It generally takes between one day and a full week for concussion symptoms to disappear, depending on the severity of the original injury.
Getting a second concussion during that early recovery period puts people at risk for long-term symptoms, cognitive impairment and even death, according to the association.
More information
To learn more about when athletes should stay out of the game because of concussions and other injuries, see this advice from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
