Survey: Most Parents Following Outdated Advice for Concussions
Leading to much potential harm
A survey released by UCLA found that when dealing with children’s concussions, most parents are doing more harm than good by following outdated advice.
Dr. Christopher Giza, a pediatric neurologist at UCLA, has stated that concussion symptoms used to be downplayed. Now, however, parents err too far on the side of caution, which might interrupt the child’s recovery.
Giza said of the results of his survey:
“Many parents believed they might overlook swelling of the brain if they allowed their child to go to sleep with a concussion. We certainly want a doctor to evaluate the child immediately after injury, but if you’re still waking a child up throughout the night more than a week later, you’re doing more harm than good.”
The survey asked 569 parents across the United States what they would do for a child whose concussion symptoms lasted for more than a week. A whopping 77% of them said they would continue to wake them up throughout the night to ensure that they are not missing symptoms of brain swelling.
Currently, doctors recommend that parents allow children to sleep once a doctor has assessed their risk. If a professional has given them the all clear, the child should return to a normal sleep schedule. Often, the body heals itself during sleep, meaning it is incredibly important that the children get a restful night.
Eighty-four percent of those surveyed also stated that they would continue to restrict physical activity until their child’s symptoms abated. Again, Giza disagreed with this assessment, saying that inactivity would do more harm than good. He does not advise that children who have recently suffered from concussions participate in contact sports or anything incredibly strenuous, however, he does recommend that they begin some form of aerobic exercise. This is partly to restore a sense of normalcy to the child’s life after the symptoms occur.
Children should also not have their screen time severely limited, as this can cause anxiety about falling away from their social circle or getting behind in class. As such, Giza recommends that parents don’t overdo it with the screens, but not to take them away completely.
“These kids quickly start to worry about keeping up in their classes, losing social status and, if they are athletes, whether they will lose their place on the team. It’s important to ease them back into their social circles quickly, and that might mean being a little more permissive when it comes to social media and screen time,” Giza said.
Most concussion symptoms abate within 2-3 weeks. If they do not, it is time to take your child to see a specialist.
Anna Scanlon is an author of YA and historical fiction and a PhD student at the University of Leicester where she is finishing her degree in modern history.