Head Injuries in Sports

When people think of head injuries or concussions in sports, they mainly think of sports like Football, but head injuries can happen in just about every sport. Studies have shown that female soccer and basketball players in high school and men’s wrestling and ice hockey, as well as women’s ice hockey at the college level, have higher rates of head injuries than football players. Many state and national sports organizations have tried to bring more awareness to the issue and have changed the rules, but it is important to stay vigilant no matter what sport your child plays.

Most minor hits to the head can resolve on their own but it is important to know what to look for, especially in young children. A study done in 2016 found that about one third of patients ages 5-18 who had concussions experienced lasting psychological and behavior problems. This is something called persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS). It is important that parents, coaches, and athletes know the risks and how to take precautions when an injury happens, or it can have lasting effects.

 Any action that causes your head to move quickly in any direction can cause a concussion. A blackout or loss of consciousness only occurs in about 10 percent of concussions, so it is not always possible to assess based on this. Concussions and injuries can happen quickly so be on the lookout for:

• Sudden stops, such as a collision with another player or tripping that has them landing on the ground suddenly.

• Head-to-head collision

• Head-to-elbow, stick, ball, etc.

• Hits that may cause whiplash.

It’s important to watch how the player’s head moves during that contact. Concussions have a wide range of symptoms, so it’s important to look out for severe symptoms like:

• Nausea or Vomiting

• Dilated pupils

• Disorientation

• Trouble balancing

• Ringing in the ears

Sometimes concussion symptoms are milder like:

• Headache

• Dizziness

• Sensitivity to light or noise

• Numbness

• Fatigue

• Feeling anxious, depressed, or groggy

• Overall feeling that something isn’t right.

Most of the time, only a medical professional or someone trained in concussion protocol can determine whether a player has sustained a concussion or other minor brain injury. Depending on the symptoms and severity of the hit, it is important to seek assessment and care. Some schools and clubs have athletic trainers as part of the staff, and players can be assessed on the spot. Others require coaches and officials to be trained to spot symptoms in players. They may recommend a trip to the ER for further assessment if the injury is severe enough.

Most people recover quickly from concussions, but sometimes the symptoms can last days, weeks, or months. It is important to seek treatment from medical professionals as these injuries can impact a person's life if not treated properly. The best approach is, when in doubt, to check it out. Talk to your child’s coach to see if they have concussion protocols for their team or if they have been trained in concussion protocol.

For more information on head injuries in sports and concussions, please visit:

• https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/concussions-in-sports#:~:text=The%20broad%20recovery%20guidelines%20for,as%20a%20headache%20or%20dizziness.

• https://www.aans.org/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Sports-related-Head-Injury

• https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/index.html

Megan Winkelmann has been a Community Health Educator with the Jefferson County Health Department for five years. She attended Truman State University earning a bachelor’s degree in Health Science with a minor in Biology. While working for JCHD she attended A.T. Still University to earn her master’s degree in Public Health. Megan was born and raised in Jefferson County and enjoys creating programs that encourage healthy habits in the place she was raised. Megan likes to spend her free in time in the presence of family and friends.

Eat More and Move More for Heart Health

Often times when we think about improving our eating habits we immediately focus on the choices we know we should be cutting back on. Instead, I encourage you to focus on the positive choices you are making and how to build upon these. Below are a few things we can include more of to benefit our heart health.

• Try a new source of unsaturated fats

  • Fat is a necessary component of our diet- it is a source of energy and helps in the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Sources of the unsaturated fats that we want to focus on consuming include nuts and nut butters, seeds, vegetable oils such as canola or olive oil and certain types of fish such as salmon, trout, oysters and sardines. If you have a good routine of including fish in your meals, challenge yourself to try a new variety (sardines are supposed to go great on pizza!). If you find yourself grabbing for pretzels or chips as an evening snack, swap these out for some pistachios or any other nut variety a couple days per week.

• Aim for 150 minutes of movement per week

  • Guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity such as brisk walking per week as well as two days of strength training. These 150 minutes of moderate activity can be swapped for 75 minutes of vigorous activity such as jogging weekly. Do these numbers sound overwhelming? Start with a small goal and once you are confident in achieving that, slowly add in more activity working towards those bigger numbers. Start with 10 minutes at a time at whatever capacity you are able- some exercises from a chair could include seated marching, leg extensions, or overhead presses with light objects around your home.

• Eat more of your favorite high fiber foods

  • Most of us should be aiming for somewhere around 25-35g of fiber per day. This can be tough to reach; keeping a journal to identify your starting point can be useful information. One of the best sources of fiber is dried beans such as black beans or garbanzo beans (also knows as chickpeas and what hummus is made out of). Try sprinkling some beans into your salad or replacing some of the meat in a recipe with beans to up the fiber content. Fruits that contain seeds or a peel tend to be the options highest in fiber (raspberries have about 8g per cup) so be sure to eat the skin or peel on your produce after washing! If cereal is a go-to breakfast option in your house, spend a few minutes the next time you are grocery shopping to compare labels and choose an option that contains more fiber such as a shredded wheat.

If you are interested in discussing your specific nutrition concerns, please reach out to our Registered Dietitian at: 636-797-3737 x 124