Young child with history of concussions
 

My 5 year old has had at least 2 concussions already. He seems to be a magnet for head injuries. I worry about the long term effects he will have if he has a third or even fourth one. I don't have a question, just looking for other people who have experienced similar things.

It's hard to say what could happen in the future..
How did his concussions happen?
Many kids fall and bump their heads when growing up, but don't end up with a concussion unless a major trauma happens.

I have a long history of falls and head injuries. When I was a child, I used to trip and fall and split my head open on our marble floors often. (I have Muscular Dystrophy which makes me prone to falling).

My parents made me wear a helmet as a child, and it's a good thing they did, otherwise I would probably be worse off today.

There is definitely a cumulative effect. Fast forward 40 years, and the head injuries continued, and now I'm struggling.

But don't freak out. Just make sure your child recovers properly from any head injuries by resting in a quiet environment for a few days. Eat a healthy diet, because junk food causes inflammation which will inhibit the healing process. Take precautions and have him wear a helmet while bike riding or playing sports.

Bulova6,

How do you know they were concussions and not just head bumps or sub-concussive impacts?

Many decades ago, when my son was a toddler, he fell off a sofa and smacked the back his head on a coffee table. It left an indent that is still visible as a 40+ adult. His pediatrician discounted it and told us to expect head bumps. He said the head and brains of children are much more tolerant to head bumps that most understand. The skull is soft and absorbs impacts better. The brain has more fluid to absorb impacts.

Even if these were true concussions, there is no data that suggests prolonged outcomes. Some people are more tolerant of impacts and have little to no proiblems.

Welcome Bulova6. :Wave-Hello:

Let me elaborate on my struggles - I was bedridden in a dark room for 4 years barely able to open my eyes, and only able to read for 5 minutes per day. The impact forces from the hitting my head were not enough to cause those severe symptoms, which means it was most likely the cumulative effect of too many concussions. (I wrote about it here: DrewDigital - How Overdoing It Turned Me Into A Vegetable | A Post-Concussion Syndrome Story )

My case may be extreme, but when you are trying to understand a complex problem, it helps to examine extremes.

This study indicates that children are actually more susceptible to concussions than adults: Development of a Concussion Risk Function for a Youth Population Using Head Linear and Rotational Acceleration - PubMed

And this study found that childhood TBIs increased the chances of low educational attainment, a need for psychiatric care, the likelihood of receiving welfare and disability benefits, and early death. Not unexpectedly, more severe brain injuries and repeated brain injuries made these outcomes even more likely. Will My Child Experience Long-Term Consequences from a Concussion or other Brain Injury? - Elizabeth Sandel, M.D.

Drew, Your extreme experience is not applicable to the average person. You spent a lot of time PMing me. Nothing you were experiencing was similar to the hundreds of others suffering concussion/TBI struggles. You are not helpful when you bring your history up. People, especially anxious people, tend to 'tilt at windmills' when they hear such extreme comments.

The study you link is poorly written. It does not say if the study had any control factors for the myriad of other things that might indicate things such as a high risk taking lifestyle, hockey, soccer, etc. It does not say if the Swedish health system provides educational accommodations.

As one study I found showed, if 8% of youth have any type of mental health need and 11% of affected youth have any mental health needs, that 37% increase is more understandable. BUT, The study I read said there was no difference in suicide rates between the unaffected group and the affected (concussed) group.

Youth of today have a much higher rate of all sorts of struggles in life. Schools and social media load them down with stresses that they are not equipped to handle.

Mark, Bulova asked for experiences. I gave my experience. How is that not helpful?

Most people will agree that a few concussions during childhood is ok. I even said not to worry. But if someone is wondering what happens if a child has an excessive number of head injuries, well my case is an example.

I think most people will also agree that excessive head injuries are bad. But the message you project is that it is ok, because a child's "skull is soft and absorbs impacts better."

Of course, my experience is not applicable to the average person. It's anecdotal. We hear about extreme experiences all the time and people don't get anxiety panic attacks. The viewers reading this know that just because I had a bad experience, that doesn't mean they will have the same experience.

If we only allowed average experiences on this forum, then there would be no posts because the average concussive recovers just fine without needing to consult a forum.

Remember, the human brain is very complex. For any given topic, there are studies that support both sides. So nobody can say with absolute certainty that their point of view is correct.

And to correct the record, I did not PM you.

Drew, You have many issues that contribute to your struggles. Claiming your dark room experience was caused only by concussions is stretching the issue.

Years ago, you and I posted back and forth many times about your need for the dark room. Maybe it was on the main forum.

You commented about your MD, scoliosis, and the meds doctors put you on.

[It just doesn't make sense that some extra blows to the head would cause such debilitating symptoms for so long. I think the medications played a role. The benefits of those drugs aren't worth the risk of the side effects. ]

That quote is out of context. I was referring to how a light bump to the head caused a year of bedrest. Yes, medications played a role, but meds alone would not cause that amount of suffering.

Actually, my story is relevant. It's a reminder of why we should protect our heads. What about parents of children with disabilities who are prone to falling because of seizures, muscle weakness, or football? It would be irresponsible to censor my side of the debate.

My story should also serve as inspiration. Despite all the setbacks, I'm on my way to a full recovery.

Thank you for the replies.

To answer some of the questions, my son was diagnosed with concussions by our doctor.

How did a 5 year old get 2 concussions playing sports?

Most of the diagnostic criteria used to diagnose a concussion in the doctor's office/ER are subjective and are dependent on an accurate response from the patient. Doctors tend to be very conservative and diagnose a concussion based on very limited evidence. In fact, there used to be a billable/chartable diagnostic code for future reference if symptoms develop that would confirm a concussion.

"I see in your medical record that you suffered a trauma that might have been a concussion."

If the doctor does not know the patient's history, How well can he balance? Does he have any pre-existing nystagmus? What is his normal gait? the exam room tests are inaccurate. A dehydrated patient or tired patient could manifest symptoms that mimic concussion symptoms.

This is especially true when a concerned mother is present. If they diagnose a concussion, the mother will usually remove him from further risk for a time. There is no harm in this cautious approach except if the patient or parent starts keeping score.

Some will try to use other's observations. "I saw his head hit the skateboard ramp hard."

"He fell back and slammed his head on the ice"

A fall from upright to a head hit on ice or concrete would be a concern......

Unless there was Loss of Consciousness or other serious symptoms, it is very difficult to diagnose a concussion in the exam room. There are a few blood test that can point to a likely concussion but they are not widely used.

A 5 year old would not be a good candidate for the ImPact test or similar tests of neurocognitive function. Besides, they work best when they have a preseason baseline. The 'normal' range of neurocognitive development in a 5 year old can be quick large. The normal range starts to narrow when they reach about 8 years old.

A very good fitting helmet would be a necessity on ice or concrete activities. Most bike helmets are just a bit better than useless. They are rarely fitted and worn properly.

Regarding the football athletes, they have two risks. High velocity hits and tackles that are not frequent and lower velocity subconcussive impacts that happen hundreds of times in a single season.

Hockey can have similar risks. A limited body checking league would reduce the risk.

From a lifetime of experience, I reduced my risk after a serious injury at 10 years old then reduced it even further after an injury at 15 years old. Even so, I suffered 12+ more concussions in the following 30 years. None from sports as I quit contact sports at 15.

So, what can you do? Be smart. reduce risks when practical but still live life.