Sports-Related Head Injuries Among Children Skyrockets

A new study concerning youth head-injury statistics shows there has been a 90 percent surge in the number of children being treated in emergency rooms for sports-related head injuries since 2001.

What the Study Shows About Youth Brain Injuries

This study, conducted by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and published in the journal Pediatrics, is new. It analyzed emergency room visits between 2002 and 2011. The goal was to understand better the causes and severity of head injuries among children.

Key Findings

• Over 25,000 children were treated for traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) during the study period.
• Nearly 15% (approximately 3,900 cases) were attributed to sports or recreational activities.
• Around 75% of injured children were boys.
• The most common sports involved were skiing, sledding, rollerblading, and skateboarding.

Concussions and Long-Term Health Risks

Researchers have raised concerns about concussions because studies show that these head injuries can lead to various health issues later in life. Additionally, further research has concluded that children may need longer recovery periods following concussions, which has increased concern among physicians since their brains are still developing.

The Cincinnati study published in the journal Pediatrics reveals that over the past decade, emergency room staff treated more than 25,000 children for a TBI, with nearly 15 percent—around 3,900 cases—resulting from sports-related incidents. Roughly three-quarters of those treated were males.

Injury Severity May Be Decreasing

The study revealed a 92% increase in TBI-related emergency room visits among children. However, researchers did not see a rise in hospital admissions after those visits. This suggests that more children are visiting the ER, but their injuries are less severe.

In fact, the researchers involved reported a drop in scores related to injury severity as well as the length of hospital stays.

Long-Term Risks of Childhood Concussions

The sports-related head injuries that brought most children in for hospital admittance were skiing, sledding and rollerblading or skateboarding.

Research shows that concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can lead to a variety of permanent medical conditions, including fatigue, depression, sleep disorders, and an increased risk of stroke. Furthermore, statistics show that a person who suffers a concussion is up to four times more likely to endure a second concussion at some point, which only increases a child’s risk for suffering learning disabilities and other neuropsychological problems.

When a child suffers a TBI while partaking in supervised sports or recreational activities, it is important to identify whether someone else’s negligence caused or contributed to the injury. A TBI can be an expensive and lifelong injury that your child may never fully recover from. Children who are injured because of someone else’s negligence deserve to receive fair compensation for their damages.

Speak to a Citrus County Brain Injury Lawyer

If your child has suffered from a TBI in Inverness, Crystal River, Beverly Hills, Lecanto, Homosassa, Dunnellon, Hernando, Sugarmill Woods, Citrus Springs or Floral City, please contact a Citrus County Brain Injury Lawyer at Whittel & Melton to schedule a free consultation to discuss a possible personal injury lawsuit. You can reach us 24/7 at 352-726-0078 or by visiting us online.

Photo credit: Vaguely Artistic / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND