Sheryl,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your daughter's concussion.

I also suffered from an injury from soccer. It was my sophomore year in high school. I struggled with academics for about a year. I appeared to make a good recovery except I would struggle during times of stress. This roller coaster ride has followed me the rest of my life.

I disagree with EsthersDoll about a full recovery. Your daughter has a good chance of making a good recovery but she will forever have a concussed brain. How she moves forward in her soccer efforts and other risks will have a big impact on her future. Most of the long term effects from a concussion do not manifest until the person is in their 40's.

For now, the rule of thumb I use for suggested activities is the hands. Do not do anything that is faster or more complex that the hands can do. The comparison would be, as EsthersDoll said, coloring, knitting, sewing, painting, etc. Video games and computer keyboarding is much faster than the injured brain can tolerate.

What has the 'concussion specialist' and PT been doing besides recommending rest?

I do not consider the term 'concussion specialist' to have any value except to increase that doctor's patient count. Prescribing rest is just the starting point.

At her age, she has many other factors involved. Her hormones are still just getting started. She is in a high change rate for he brain as it starts to mature. The emotional roller coaster can be a struggle.

If she is like most soccer players, this is her worst concussion but not her first concussion. She has likely not reported many of the head impacts that have truly effected her brain. It is the nature of the sport and the competitive nature of girls and their desire to impress their coaches.

If you are where she can take quiet walks away from city noise and voices, they can be helpful. The mild exercise will help her. She needs to work at learning a new walking gait so she does not plant her foot hard. A way to do this is to walk with foam ear plugs in. Then, she can hear her foot plant. Learning to soften her foot plant will be good for her brain and her knees and hips. Walking on grass is also much better than hard surfaces.

Nutrition is a valuable therapy. B-12 (500 to 1000 mcgs daily), a B-50 complex, Omega's, all of the anti-oxidants, magnesium, calcium and a good multi-vitamin will help her brain detoxify. She should avoid caffeine, alcohol, MSG, artificial sweeteners (aspartame/Equal is the worst) and high sugar content foods. Getting good amino acids is good. Most are easiest to get from meat with pork the best. BCAA's (Broken Chain Amino Acids) are the brain's building blocks.

Nutrition is not a quick fix. It takes weeks to start to see improvements. It should become a lifestyle, not just a temporary effort.

Reading highly descriptive books is tougher on the brain than text books and more factual texts. The brain struggles to keep all of the many concepts and characters sorted out. Using a piece of paper to hide the rest of the page can lower the visual work load.

Visual and auditory stimulation should be limited. It is stressful on the brain.

Is she is back to school full time? Lectures or intense instruction like math and science may be too much right now. She could try watching some Kahn Academy math videos at her own pace. Sal Kahn uses a writing pad so his lessons are not fast paced.

An activity she may enjoy is reading to young children in a quiet environment. The slow pace and simple communication will create a whole new way for her to reach out to others. Young cousins or a reading program at the library may be good.

As a high achiever, she will greatly benefit from learning some of these slow down skills. Spending regular time at a slower pace will benefit her for a lifetime. The high achieving, multi-tasking, almost ADD/ADHD style, is stressful on the brain even if the brain has never been injured. Scientific studies prove this.

As a parent, I would be very concerned about future concussions. The next concussion will make this concussion look easy.

Rock Center with Brian Williams did a segment about concussion and girls last night on TV. A lot of the information is available online. One specialist suggested no soccer ball heading until over 14. I believe 18 should be the age before heading a soccer ball is allowed.

There is a claim that neck strengthening will help prevent a concussion. This is not true. There is no science to support such a claim. In fact, the laws of physic (conservation of energy) say just the opposite. Neck strengthening may help prevent some of the neck injuries that accompany concussions but that is all.

The risk girls have with concussion is likely due to low progesterone levels. Progesterone is a neuro-protectant. When it is lower as during 75% of their cycle, the brain is unprotected. Males always have the same blood level of progesterone so they often can tolerate more brain trauma.

I know I have hit you with a fire hose of information. I don't mean to scare you but do want you to have adequate information to make decisions for her future. There are plenty of competitive sports she can play and excel in.

Track and cross country, rowing, and other endurance oriented sports use the endurance skills soccer players have developed. Rowing is a good way to get a college scholarship. Dry-landers can do rowing on rowing machines. It is a great way for a girl to keep a good physique.

I hope you can help her endure and recover with this information.

My best to you.