How to keep kids safe from traumatic brain injuries this summer
Health News

How to keep kids safe from traumatic brain injuries this summer


About 1.7 million people in the U.S. suffer a traumatic brain injury each year, and nearly half a million children under 15 visit an emergency room for TBI. A brain injury is traumatic if it disrupts the normal function of the brain.

Dr. Michael Egnor, vice-chairman of neurology at New York's Stony Brook University Hospital and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, provides ideas for how parents can help protect their children from brain injuries this summer.

Families are going on more bike rides, but not everyone knows that bicycle accidents are most likely to happen within five blocks of home. "Make sure your child wears a helmet every time he or she rides a bicycle, scooter or skateboard," Egnor said. "We're seeing the most head injuries right now in skateboarding, especially in young teens, who might think it's just not cool to wear a helmet."

Each year more than 200,000 children suffer from injuries on playgrounds in the U.S., according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The main cause is falls. Egnor suggested looking for shredded mulch, pea gravel, crushed stone and other loose surfaces and being extra careful on asphalt and concrete.

Parents with older children and teens should be aware of possible diving accidents. "In about 50 percent of cases of catastrophic injuries, alcohol or drugs is involved," Egnor said. "Ensure that responsible adults supervise pool parties and other events where swimming and diving are involved."

Egnor also warned of concussions during summer sports. He said, "The few serious injuries we treat from organized sports are usually accidents that probably could not have been prevented," he said, while many of the concussions he treats are mild because many sports require helmets.

Dealing with serious injuries quickly is key, Egnor said. "The full extent of the injuries may not appear immediately." (Read more)




- Help Prevent Leading Cause Of Child Death: Unintentional Injury
Every day 2,000 children die from preventable injuries, making unintentional injuries the leading cause of death for children in the United States. More of these injuries occur during the summer than any other season. "Kids are outside more, out of school...

- Centers For Disease Control Working To Find Ways To Prevent Traumatic Brain Injury; Affects One In Five Kentucky Households
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using a public-health approach to find strategies to prevent traumatic brain injuries and reduce the physical, psychological, economic and social impacts they cause. Image: brainline.orgTraumatic...

- Ensure Children's Eye Safety During Fall Sports Season
Children are back in school, playing sports, and parents can take precautions to ensure their children's eye safety as they compete. Although many parents are unaware of the risks posed to their child's eye safety, about 40,000 eye injuries take...

- Concussions: More Than A Knock On The Head
Two or more athletes collide on a football field. One hits the ground hard suffering a head impact. The athlete gets up, shakes it off and continues to play. Not always the wise thing to do. ?I often say that football is not a contact sport, it is a collision...

- Keeping Your Head: The Most Dangerous Games
by Mark Huslage, LCSW-C, CBIST Coordinator of Brain Injury Programs, LifeBridge Health As stories like this show us, emergency room visits are rising for concussions among student athletes. While we often focus on the risks of football, that's only...



Health News








.