Incidence Of Concussions Increasing Among Students
DETROIT (WWJ) - There's a big jump in the number of kids showing up at the emergency room with concussions from sports activities. Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital say ER visits for these injuries increased 92 percent between 2002 and 2011.
Pediatric experts like Doctor Neil Alpiner at Beaumont Children's Hospital say better awareness is only part of the equation.
"You also see kids playing sports at a much younger age," said Dr. Alpiner. "So, they are much more at risk for injury, repetitively, over time."
"I believe at the same time there are more kids having head injuries and concussions due to so many kids playing sports," added Alpiner."The mentality that it is harder to get to college academically so they are looking toward extra curricular activities to get them to college and they are pushing harder."
Alpiner says if you suspect your child has a concussion, by all means, go to the ER, but he also advises following up with a pediatric concussion expert, since there can be complicating issues with the injury.
