PCSMcGee,

You claim to understand concussion but you still continue to state that one can recover 100 percent from a concussion. There is not a lack of understanding concussion in the medical industry. It is any trauma to the head that cause symptoms such as: any level of amnesia, confusion, nausea, headache, dizziness, awareness of surroundings (this includes date, names, location, etc) visual disturbance, loss of consciousness, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and some other similar symptoms. The problem the industry has is getting over the long disproven idea that unless there is a loss of consciousness and serious post traumatic amnesia, 100 percent recovery should be expected within a short time period.

You appear to have been listening to the same old tired ideas of the psychological oriented cause of ongoing symptoms. Most neurologists and psychologists still do not properly understand the long term effects of concussion.

< THAT SAID, advising a 7 year old who's experienced 1 non-catastrophic concussion to not drink 12 years from now, particularly when nothing is known about his upcoming recovery period, is ridiculous. >

You are making assumptions about his recovery period having something to do with residual problems. It is ridiculous to claim that recovery period has any bearing on his long term condition. The research says it does not. In fact, the research says just the opposite. You cannot predict long term outcome based on intensity of impact nor recover speed or levels. The one thing that can be predicted is the susceptibility to a second impact. That does not mean that he will sustain an impact of similar force or that he will be more likely to bump his head. What it means is that he will be far more likely to experience the symptoms of a concussion, often because a much weaker force will produce concussion symptoms.

Regarding drinking, you do not have to get passed out drunk to suffer effects of alcohol after a concussion.

As I said, rocksrock has plenty of time to convince her son to avoid alcohol. For the time being, he just needs to know to take less risks that can cause another bump to his head. Most likely, he will bump his head. Not necessarily from taking risks, but from just being an active young boy. When this next bump comes, he will be more symptomatic and begin to understand the need to be more protective of his head. He does not need to be made to feel like a victim of a head injury for him to decide to be more careful. He does not need to feel guilty about his recent head injury either. He will just be ahead of the pack by acknowledging a need to protect his head.

The sports industry is quickly making changes due to public awareness of head injury. Look at the increased use of helmets in skiing and snowboarding. The insurance industry will be getting more involved too.

Oh yeh, you said, < The fact of the matter is that most of the people who use this forum are medical anomalies - people who developed extremely severe symptoms from seemingly minor injuries. >

Those medical anomalies are not anomalies at all. They are statistically significant numbers. Just because they do not find this forum means nothing. I have been studying concussion on the internet for more than 12 years and I just found this forum. The fact that they have extremely severe symptoms from seemingly minor injuries is just the point. Nobody can say what the long term residual problems will be. There are some rules of thumb based on research done as far back as 1974. Those rules of thumb say that impact force and immediate symptoms are not a predictor of long term outcome.

As I said, let him live his life. Just be aware of his head injury history and take reasonable precautions. As my mom said yesterday when I was talking to her, Nobody told us what to do after my head injury at 10 yo. In fact, the only comment was before I was discharged, the doctor tried to tell me to tell my mother to have me seen by the family doctor when I got back home. ( I was in a hospital 45 minutes from my home). I remembered this comment about six weeks later. She wishes she had a better understanding of my need to protect my head. My minor concussion in high school and and again in college changed the direction of my life permanently.

I would rather have not played soccer for four seasons than have to live with the disabilities I have now. It is all about risk versus reward.

Informed consent is a valuable commodity.