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At the White House last Thursday, President Obama hosted a day-long summit about concussions. The Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit included parents, athletes, coaches, and researchers. It brought further attention to a problem that has existed quietly for decades. The President himself admitted that he probably suffered mild concussions when he played football, but nobody thought anything of it at the time. “The awareness is improved today,” he said, “…but not by much.”
Dr. Richard Anderson
“It is important that parents understand that far less is known about concussion in young children than in professional, college, and high school athletes,” said Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Dr. Richard Anderson. “We do know that children typically need more time to recover from a concussion than adults. Where professional athletes usually need three to five days to recover, and college athletes need five to seven days, high school athletes in many cases need about fourteen days of rest. We don’t yet know if younger children need the same amount of time or longer. That time should be increased if there is a history of prior concussions. It may also be necessary to rest from scholastic and other mental stresses.”
Parents and coaches who want to know more about concussions can check out Dr. Anderson’s informative take on Misconceptions about Kids and Concussions in our previous post here.
Columbia neurosurgeons like Dr. Anderson have been working hard to get the word out about the symptoms and risks of concussions. Dr. William Christopher Fox, neurosurgeon from our Ridgewood, New Jersey office, takes an especially personal interest in concussions: he saw them in his fellow athletes when he played college and professional sports, and also in his military patients when he was a neurosurgeon on active duty in the Navy. Earlier this year, Dr. Fox gave a talk to more than 100 community members at a Concussion Awareness seminar.
At the White House summit, the President spoke as a parent of teenagers. “As parents,” he said, “we want to keep [our kids] safe, and that means we need better information.” He announced that the NFL, NCAA, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Defense will be working to gather more information about concussions in young athletes.
At the same time, government and private organizations will educate parents, coaches, and athletes. For example, the CDC offers a new concussion app for parents called Heads Up, and a concussion fact sheet for parents and one for athletes, in English and in Spanish.
Dr. William Christopher Fox
The President emphasized the importance of athletics, but also the importance of safety and awareness. “”We’ve got to have every parent and coach and teacher recognize the signs of concussions,” he said.
Learn more about Dr. Richard Anderson on his bio page here.
Learn more about Dr. William Christopher Fox on his bio page here.
