All-Star Concussions And Cheerleading.

[quietmom]

I would rather all coaches, gyms, and competitions overreact and be overcautious about concussions than have a young person live with the life long repercussions of a severe concussion left untreated. At the end of the day these are young people starting out their lives. Protecting their futures comes before winning competitions or bids.

 

[mommadonna]

Sadly I am learning about this first hand right now. I wish our gym did the IMPACT test so they could have a baseline score. My CP was hit in the head multiple times at practice with the last hit throwing her to the ground. She has been to the concussion specialist 3 times and returns again tomorrow. She has missed so much school as the first days after being evaluated she was allowed to do nothing except it in a dark room and let her brain heal. Eventually she was allowed back for half days only. She could have no tests, no homework etc. This is our 4th week and she has finally returned to school and can only be given a small amount of homework. Still no tests and limited class work. She is still not allowed to be on the computer and can only watch limited TV. This is so difficult as she is a senior this year. It's college application time and she can not form complete thoughts and sentences in order to complete her additional essays many schools require. Not to mention all she is missing in her AP classes, how will she ever catch up. This may have literally been life changing and the coach had no idea she had been injured. I don't think this is taken seriously by all. She was encouraged by her coach to "give tumbling a try" and she has not been released by the specialist yet!

:banghead:!!!!!!
Absolutely NO tumbling until the specialist releases her! This is why I am so glad we have a trainer at the gym who is on top of this stuff!
Good luck to your CP. I'm praying that her brain heals quickly and completely. Bless the both of you for having to deal with that.

 

[mommadonna]

Can you provide the link? That is a great idea!

It's called the IMPACT concussion test. You can probably google it or get the information from your physician or trainer. It's a great idea to have everyone tested.

 

[kristenthegreat]

My old high school has to do this (IMPACT testing) now for even something like Volleyball. We had a girl last year or two years ago whack her head on a metal pole by mistake (it wasn't even the net supports 'cause they're covered in foam padding- it was a metal ladder fixture that they store in the gym. She was retrieving a ball). Was out for two weeks- then just as she was able to come back, got a serve to the head. She was basically out for the whole season her senior year (volleyball season is very short, particularly if you don't make playoffs). So sad.

 

[catlady]

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The testing is actually very inexpensive, I would gladly pay our gym to provide this service.

 

[JessikaLOVE]

I wish someone had done this for me when i had my concussion.
I took a week off but was still having headaches when i went back, and now i still have issues because i didn't let my poor brain heal properly.

 

[njallday]

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The testing is actually very inexpensive, I would gladly pay our gym to provide this service.

Wow it really is pretty cheap. $5 or less per athlete. I'd have no problem paying that or getting one less shirt or something for the gym to cover it.


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[Cheeranswers]

Sadly I am learning about this first hand right now. I wish our gym did the IMPACT test so they could have a baseline score. My CP was hit in the head multiple times at practice with the last hit throwing her to the ground. She has been to the concussion specialist 3 times and returns again tomorrow. She has missed so much school as the first days after being evaluated she was allowed to do nothing except it in a dark room and let her brain heal. Eventually she was allowed back for half days only. She could have no tests, no homework etc. This is our 4th week and she has finally returned to school and can only be given a small amount of homework. Still no tests and limited class work. She is still not allowed to be on the computer and can only watch limited TV. This is so difficult as she is a senior this year. It's college application time and she can not form complete thoughts and sentences in order to complete her additional essays many schools require. Not to mention all she is missing in her AP classes, how will she ever catch up. This may have literally been life changing and the coach had no idea she had been injured. I don't think this is taken seriously by all. She was encouraged by her coach to "give tumbling a try" and she has not been released by the specialist yet!

went through the exact thing. it really sucks but shes doing the right thing. unfortunately i made the mistake of not fully listening to the instructors and am still paying for it almost 2 years later. people dont realize how serious concussions are

 

[just_kay_today]

The statement; "you can get a concussion without actually hitting your head.", is absolutely correct. It's called a coup/contra-coup injury. Where rather than hitting an outside object causing the brain trauma, the trauma is caused by the brain hitting the inside of your skull. It happens often in whiplash. So, conceivably, in a regular cradle, if a flyer is thrown high and is caught without hitting her head, the sudden stop, after her rapid fall, could cause a concussion.

Simply put, the diagnosis is based on the patient's signs and symptoms ... not the particular circumstance. We have one brain that controls it ALL! We must err on the side of the athlete. I tell my patients, if it was your cell phone, computer or car acting up, would you ignore or push it?

 

[seein_starz]

We recently lost one of our best athletes due to her doctor and her mother not letting her cheer anymore because she got too many concussions. It's quite a shame and I'll miss her,


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[gymcatmomx2]

We recently lost one of our best athletes due to her doctor and her mother not letting her cheer anymore because she got too many concussions. It's quite a shame and I'll miss her,


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How did she get so many concussions? We're they all from cheer?

 

[seein_starz]

How did she get so many concussions? We're they all from cheer?

I'm not sure I know she got at least 1 because she was dropped when flying and she wasn't allowed to fly anymore. She also used to be a gymnast but I don't know.


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[shawtyyBHADDx3]

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[kem1129]

I have posted my story on this board so many times, but I completely agree that people need to become more educated about the dangers of concussions and need to be taking them more seriously. I got 5 concussions in 2 years, all from cheerleading, and I ended up having to give the sport up because of the damage caused to my brain and the dangers of getting another concussion. My neurologist told me that I'm at a much greater risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease as an adult because of these injuries, and to be honest, I really don't think I've been the same since I got all of these concussions. My reading is significantly slower than it was before, I frequently lose my train of thought when I am trying to complete my school work, I cannot stare at a computer screen for longer than 45 minutes or so, and I experience almost daily headaches. I did not experience any of these issues before I had received so many concussions, and I never found myself having to push very hard to do well in school, and now I experience difficulty with things that I don't think I would have had I not been injured so many times. I love cheerleading, and it kills me that I had to give it up, but it was not worth it when it comes to brain health. Concussions are something that NEED to be taken seriously because even if the concussion does not seem that severe, there is so much damage that can be done from not allowing your brain to heal properly.

Another thing that people need to watch out for is post concussion syndrome. While your brain may be healed, you could still experience concussion symptoms, and it is something you should talk with a doctor about if you have a concussion. I experienced symptoms for six months after one of my concussions healed, and it really impacted my school work and life in general, but people did not take that as seriously because my brain technically was healed. Schools also provide more resources than parents may realize for students who have concussions. I did not know that I could have had my homework and tests reduced or eliminated had I contacted my guidance counselor, so my teachers were only accomodating for so long before expecting me to jump back into everything completely even though I didn't feel ready to do so. Parents, it is definitely worth it to do your research about concussions even if your child hasn't had one, just so that you are educated and can recognize when your child should be taken to a doctor.

Sorry for the rant! I just don't want another athlete to have to go through what I have gone through because my family and I were not as educated about concussions as we should have been!

 

[just_kay_today]

I am so sorry these things happened to you. People really do not realize the long term effects of concussions. I wish we did not have to hear about them, first hand, from you. But, thank you. I will pray for your continued improvement and complete healing. I believe that with God, all things are possible!