New Research Suggests Concussions Should Keep Kids on the Bench for a Full Year

Head injuries are a big problem for young athletes, who may be more vulnerable for up to a year after having a concussion, according to new research in the journal Pediatrics. That means students and their parents may have to think hard about when it’s safe to return to play.

When faced with the choice of benching their high-risk athletes, most parents would probably take the risk and re-enroll their child in sports. But we still don’t know if one year is what it takes to protect kids’ brains.

According to a study that tracked 235 patients, aged 11 to 22, who came to the emergency room at Boston Children’s with a concussion, patients who had had a concussion in the year before being injured again had symptoms for almost three times as long as those with a first concussion, 35 days compared to 12 days. In the study, those aged 13 and over were more likely to have a long recovery time.

Headaches and other concussion symptoms can make it impossible for students to do schoolwork. Patients are often told not to read, use computers or watch TV.

Any athlete suspected of having a concussion should be removed from play immediately, according to guidelines issued earlier this year by the American Academy of Neurology. The goal is to reduce a second hit to a recovering brain. It’s important that concussed children get close follow-up care (preferably from a board-certified sports medicine specialist) and make decisions based on what’s best for each child’s circumstances.

+ Learn about In Motion’s Concussion Management Program, with ImPACT Neurocognitive Testing.

Primary Care Sports Medicine Doctors
Our primary care sports medicine doctors focus on managing the overall health of the people with active lifestyles, including annual physical exams, immunizations, and preventative health care. They also diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of sports-related or sports-like injuries. Our experts treat concussed athletes of every size, shape, age and ability.