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" Approximately 135,000 kids between ages 5 and 18 land in the emergency room each year with a concussion or other traumatic brain injury. Be prepared in the event of a head injury by knowing these important facts.   1. You can get one even if you&amp;#039;re wearing a helmet.   Helmets are crucial because they prevent skull fractures and lessen the impact of a blow. But concussions can happen when the brain slides inside the skull, and helmets won&amp;#039;t necessarily prevent that movement, says Stephen Rice, MD, former member of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Concussions can&amp;#039;t always be prevented, but enforcing good sportsmanship so that &amp;quot;cheap blows&amp;quot; are discouraged can help.   2. They don&amp;#039;t necessarily cause you to pass out.   &amp;quot;Most people think that if it&amp;#039;s a concussion, you&amp;#039;ll pass out, but that&amp;#039;s not true 9 out of 10 times,&amp;quot; says Gerard Gioia, PhD, director of the concussion program at Children&amp;#039;s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Serious symptoms to watch for after a head injury (call 911) also include excessive sleepiness, repeated vomiting, seizures, or a headache that gets worse. Other symptoms that mean a player should get out of the game and see her doctor include head pressure, grogginess and blurred vision. For a full list of symptoms, go to CDC.gov/Concussion. &amp;quot;When in doubt, sit it out,&amp;quot; says Dr. Gioia. &amp;quot;If you don&amp;#039;t allow the brain to recover and a child gets hit again, it can cause permanent or fatal damage.&amp;quot;   3. Mental rest is just as important as physical rest.   Assuming your child isn&amp;#039;t in immediate danger (a doctor must evaluate her if she hit her head and has a concussion symptom), the best prescription is usually rest. It can take days or months to recover from a concussion, and your child shouldn&amp;#039;t return to sports or partake in other potentially risky activities like bike riding or skateboarding until the doctor gives the all-clear. But mental (cognitive) rest is important, too, says Dr. Gioia. &amp;quot;Reducing the amount of thinking and concentrating after a concussion is the same thing as reducing the physical stress on a sprained knee,&amp;quot; he explains. Plan to keep your child home from school at least one day after a concussion, then monitor her symptoms. If she&amp;#039;s having trouble following conversations, reading or doing homework, she needs more time to recover.   To go back to main story page, click here. To learn best practices for preventing a knee injury in girls, click here. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/womens-health/advice/a5696/3-things-you-dont-know-about-concussions-119812/>