Protecting your young football player from concussions

Football season is upon us. Unfortunately, sports — especially tackle football — are one of the most common causes of head injuries among children and adolescents. Head injury is an umbrella term that refers to anything from bumps and bruises to concussions, fractured skulls and traumatic brain injury.

As a neurosurgeon, I cannot stress enough the importance of head injury prevention and education. The statistics are alarming: tackling is responsible for more than 60% of concussions in high school football. And research conducted at Wake Forest School of Medicine shows a correlation between head impacts during youth football practice and changes in brain imaging over multiple seasons.

Head injuries can have devastating effects. A split second during a game or practice can lead to lifelong consequences. As parents and community members, what can we do to make youth football safer?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed evidence-based recommendations to increase sports safety as part of its HEADS UP campaign, which offers resources for parents, coaches, athletic trainers, sports officials and athletes.

First, know that prevention is the best possible protection. Make sure your child knows to always wear their helmet during practices and games, but understand that no helmet fully protects against brain injury. Teach and regularly reinforce good sportsmanship with your child.

Seek out opportunities for your child to participate in noncontact football. A CDC study reported youth tackle football athletes had 15 times the head impacts compared to flag football athletes, with youth tackle football athletes sustaining a median of 378 head impacts per athlete during the season and flag football athletes experiencing a median of eight.

Youth football coaches should be educated on head impact prevention measures and teach safe, age-appropriate tackling and blocking methods. Reducing the number and frequency of contact football practices can also go a long way in limiting injuries.

Make sure both you and your child can identify the signs and symptoms of concussion and know what to do in the event they experience one. They may feel off after head impact, have a headache or experience pressure in their head, become nauseous and vomit, confused and/or dizzy. If you notice your child is confused or having trouble concentrating, is clumsy and/or slow to answer, they may have a concussion or brain injury.

After a head injury, your child should no longer play until they are seen by a health care provider. In extremely emergent cases, your child may experience loss of consciousness, worsening headache, slurred speech, weakness and repeated vomiting. This is a medical emergency — your child needs to be taken to the emergency department as soon as possible.

A health care provider will develop a personalized plan for your child’s return to school and sports based on the severity of the head injury. The brain needs adequate time to heal. Being informed and prepared in the event of a medical emergency will help make this football season safer for everyone.

• Children's health is a continuing series. Dr. Daphne Li is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Advocate Children’s Hospital.