In 2022, the total number of children and adolescents in the nation who have been diagnosed with a concussion or brain injury reached roughly 2.3 million. Hawai’i accounts for nearly 12,650 of the 2.3 million . A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury resulting in an impact to the brain and body which causes the brain and body to move rapidly. This rapid movement can cause the brain to damage and/or stretch brain tissue which alters the brains’ natural function.

Motor vehicle accidents is the leading cause of concussions with sports being the second. In Hawaii nearly 62% of all traumatic brain injuries among 10–17-year-olds were sports-related.

Here are a list of signs and symptoms of a concussion:

• Nausea/vomiting
• Dizziness
• Blurry vision/ trouble balancing
• Fatigue
• Headache/pressure in head
• Sensitive to light or sound
• Sleeping more or less than usual
• Trouble falling asleep
• Feeling sluggish
• Difficulty concentration or thinking clearly

These symptoms may occur immediately after injury or develop within 1-2 days. It is important to be aware of these signs and symptoms as 5 in 10 concussions go unnoticed or undocumented nationwide. Most of the time concussions can be treated at home with lots of rest to let them brain time to heal. If your child has a body or headache you can give ibuprofen or acetaminophen for their body weight. It may be beneficial if they rested in a dark room without screens as this could exacerbate their headache or migraine. Have them drink lots of water and eat as tolerated.

If your child experienced severe impact to the head or has a known concussion then they should be seen at the ER if one or more of these symptoms occur: seizure, loss of consciousness, unequal pupil size, persistent headache, confusion, unarousable, slurred speech, constant vomiting, unusual behavior, severe neck pain, numbness, or tingling in extremities.  

Your child will need to be seen by your healthcare provider in order to be cleared to return to sports activities. The Hawaii Concussion Law ACT 262 states that all athletes need to fill out the “Return to Play” form. Your child may continue to experience symptoms and have difficulty learning or keeping up with schoolwork. If this is the case, let your provider know and they can work with you to accommodate their needs.

Check out this short educational video for some helpful tips and other concussion information resources: Concussion Red Flags (Video made by Mikiala Maynard, D.N.P.)

Sources:

https://hawaiiconcussion.com/info.php?module=12.0

https://health.hawaii.gov/hipp/files/2020/01/Hawaii-Injury-Prevention-Plan-HIPP-2018-2023.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2140075/