As you sit in the bleachers patiently watching your child play baseball, you notice that she is tying her shoes in the outfield, and has not noticed the fly ball heading right for her. You jump up and call to her, but it is too late, the ball slammed into her head. Tears flowed and a bruise is inevitable, she seems fine and wants to return to the game. Should you, and the coach, allow this, or is there a chance that she suffered a concussion that makes it dangerous to return to the outfield?

According to recent concussion guidelines, athletes who take a serious blow to the head should see a doctor immediately. Even if the athlete feels fine, it “doesn’t mean he or she should get right back in the game,” says Edward Wojtys [voy-tis], M.D., professor of orthopedic surgery and director of sports medicine at the University of Michigan Health System.

From junior high to professional athletes, experts recommend any athlete who has taken a blow to the head should see a doctor if these symptoms are present: headache, dizziness, nausea, brief loss of consciousness, vertigo, light-headedness, ringing in the ears, difficulty concentrating, amnesia, vomiting or problems maintaining balance.

Rest, sleep, protection from additional impact and abstinence from alcohol will best allow the brain to heal.

For more information, contact Valerie Gliem or Kara Gavin at (734) 764-2220 or UMHSmedia@umich.edu.

[Download a Word version of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Concussion in Sports Monograph]

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