Children tend to bounce around with vigorous play, especially in their early years. They too tend to be prone to slips, falls, trips, and collisions that defy our agreement of the laws of physics, with rarely a major sprain or broken bone. Simply what happens when a kid suffers a difficult accident to the caput? What if your child suffers a concussion and they are too immature or cannot tell you what they are experiencing?

What Is A Concussion?

Besides known as a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), a concussion is substantially a meaning type of encephalon injury that interferes with the brain'southward normal part. Most are temporary and resolve completely, though some concussions acquired past severe blows to the head can crusade permanent damage, peculiarly if untreated.

What Happens If A Concussion Isn't Treated?

Without treatment, a TBI has the potential to cause long-term complications. This includes chronic headaches, retention problems, and vertigo. TBIs can even atomic number 82 to something called "Post-Concussion Syndrome" which causes headaches, dizziness, mood swings, and a peculiar type of brain fog that sometimes persists for months afterward the initial incident.

What Causes A Concussion?

A concussion is typically acquired by a jarring accident to the head or a fall where the caput is moved violently and quickly from front to back or side to side. This causes bruising and swelling in the brain that tin interfere with normal brain function.
A concussion can be specially sad in young children who can't depict their symptoms. It's also worth noting that babies, toddlers, and young children may display different symptoms of concussion.

Signs Of A Concussion In A Baby

It can exist particularly difficult to recognize the signs of a concussion in a babe, equally they cannot draw what they are experiencing.

The following are mutual warning signs of a babe with a concussion:

  • Frequent vomiting
  • Crying when they motility their caput
  • Irritability
  • Sleeping significantly more or less than usual
  • A noticeable bump or large bruise on the head
  • Signs Of A Concussion In A Toddler

Toddlers accept amend cognition and verbal skills, and can occasionally explain their symptoms, or at least clue you into the fact that they are experiencing something out of the ordinary. Typical symptoms of a toddler with a concussion include:

  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Mood swings and frustration
  • Changes in sleeping more or sleeping less
  • Excessive crying
  • A loss of involvement in toys and games they savour
  • Signs Of Concussion In A 2+-Yr-Old Child

Children over the age of two can oftentimes vocalize that they are experiencing symptoms out of the ordinary, and may be able to point that they suffered a blow to the head or a hard fall. Mutual indicators of a concussion in a child 2 years or older include:

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Complaining of dizziness or headache
  • Remainder bug
  • Defoliation
  • Complaining of double or blurry vision
  • Increased sensitivity to light or noise
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Difficulty remembering unproblematic things
  • Being ho-hum to answer questions
  • Irritability or changes in mood
  • Drowsiness or excessive sleeping
  • Changes in their usual sleep patterns
  • Trouble falling comatose or staying asleep

When Should I Call A Doctor Most My Child's Concussion?

Information technology can be hard to know when to call a doctor almost a suspected concussion in a child . You might even doubt yourself after seeing them fall down, get injured, or suffer a blow to the head. If you lot suspect that your child, toddler, or baby has suffered a concussion, yous should try request yourself the following questions:

  • Is my kid behaving normally?
  • Does my child seem overly drowsy?
  • Is my child showing overt signs of distress or injury?
  • Is my child vomiting often?

If your kid is active, awake, alert, and happy, and doesn't seem to have more than than a mild bump to the head, then they virtually probable do non take a concussion. On the other hand, a child who is lethargic, pale, cranky or vomiting several times needs immediate medical attending. If you have whatsoever concerns, you might want to call your physician or nurse practitioner to seek further communication.

Should I Take My Child To Urgent Intendance Or The ER For A Suspected Concussion?

  • Some of the more than distressing signs of a child who needs urgent attending for a suspected concussion include:
  • Frequent or uncontrolled vomiting after suffering a blow to the head
  • Losing consciousness for more than than a minute.
  • They are difficult to wake up
  • The child has a notable seizure
  • Pupils that are significantly different in size
  • An unsteady gait when they walk

Tin can I Let My Kid Sleep After A Suspected Concussion?

It's alright to let your child nap if they're sleepy after bumping their caput, just you should monitor them very closely and watch for signs of a concussion after they wake upward.

How Is A Child Concussion Treated?

A doctor will perform an test to determine if there is significant head trauma or bleeding in the brain after a traumatic brain injury.

With most modest to moderate concussions, the child will recover with residue and decreased activity, though information technology tin can take upwards to a month or more for the brain to fully heal. Your physician might periodically perform tests to monitor your child's progress during a prolonged recovery.

While their brain is healing you should limit or ideally completely eliminate their exposure to screens. Screens that emit blue light such as flatscreen TVs, tablets, smartphones, and similar devices are especially concerning.

It's important to let them sleep as needed and allow them to sleep in. Slumber is one of the brain'southward most constructive ways to heal.

Future Concussion Prevention Is Critical

A growing body of research on traumatic brain injuries has constitute that further concussions tin can potentially crusade permanent brain damage, especially if they occur within a year subsequently the first concussion. If possible, take steps to prevent further blows to the caput, such every bit securing items your child might accidentally pull down on themselves.

If you lot happen to see signs of regression in your child'southward development, or chronic symptoms such as grogginess, defoliation or significant mood swings later on a concussion, you should brand an engagement with your pediatrician.