Concussion recovery in Children

Cork Emergency Departments

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Concussion recovery in Children

Your child has been diagnosed with a concussion.

Common symptoms of concussion are:

Here are some tips for helping your child recover

For the first 24-48 hours after injury:

• Rest is important
• Avoid environments with bright lights or loud noises
• Avoid screen time (gaming, smartphones etc)
• Avoid intense exercise or tasks need lots of concentration
• Use simple pain killers (paracetamol and ibuprofen) as needed

Going forward (3-5 days post injury), it is important to reintroduce physical exercise, sports and school work gradually.

Here are examples of steps to follow for returning to school and sports:

• For return to school, stay at each step detailed below for a minimum of 24 hours
• For return to sport, stay at each step for a minimum of 48 hours if you are under 20 years of age, or for 24 hours if you are over 20
• Only move onto the next step if you do not have any symptoms of concussion
• If you begin to experience symptoms, go back to the previous step
• Only being to return to sport once you have successfully returned to school

Return to school:

• Step 1: Try simple daily activities, like gentle walking or reading for short periods (5-10 mins) and build up gradually
• Step 2: Try school reading, sums or light homework while at home
• Step 3: Try going to school for a shorter day, or a day with regular breaks. If you have exams coming up, they may need to be postponed
• Step 4: Return to school full time. (Gradually build up to a full day/workload)

Return To Sport:

• Step 1: Simple daily activities
• Step 2: Gently reintroduce aerobic exercise without resistance e.g. walking, stationary cycling or low intensity swimming
• Step 3: Introduce sport specific exercise like running, warm up drills and individual skills (if a ball is required it must be soft). No contact activities
• Step 4: Introduce co-ordinated skills (passing, shooting etc) and non-contact team play
• Step 5: Return to full contact play. This should occur when you are comfortable to do so, and you have been cleared by your coach and doctor
• Step 6: Return to competition, earliest at 2-3 weeks post injury. For more contact heavy sports, e.g. rugby, the longer time frame is needed

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Most people recover well after a mild head injury. It can take up to 4 weeks for symptoms to resolve, but they should not stop you from doing your day to day activities. If you are still requiring support to return to everyday activities after 4 weeks following a mild head injury, attend your GP for assessment.