6 minute read
KIDS AND INJURY
Whether they are in elementary, high school or college, children and teenagers are always susceptible to getting hurt, so much so that injury designations are split by season in many hospitals.
Amanda Abramczyk-Thill, the injury prevention education outreach coordinator at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said children and teens are always active and injuries come with the territory.
From bumps and bruises from a simple bicycle crash to the more serious injuries related to a head bump – Abramczyk-Thill said parents should be constantly in tune with how their children are feeling and acting.
Fall injuries
In the fall, Abramczyk-Thill said it’s the start of the new school year and sports programs are getting back on track. Kids are playing at recess and the weather is still good enough for bike, scooter and evening activities.
“In the fall, (hospitals/doctors) see an uptick in a variety of falls,” she said. “More kids are playing on the playgrounds at recess and sports gets going.”
When it comes to elementary-school children, Abramczyk-Thill said the falls on the playground are not usually due to the equipment itself. Instead, it usually comes down to how it is being used.
“You have cases where a child may be using equipment that is not quite for their age or size,” she said. “Or, you have cases where the children are using the equipment improperly and that leads to injury.”
With playground equipment, besides the traditional scrapes and bruises, Abramczyk-Thill said hospitals see more arm and leg injuries.
In sports, Abramczyk-Thill said there are a variety of injuries from everything from football and cheerleading to soccer. In recent years, hockey has also grown in popularity.
In sports, Abramczyk-Thill said it might be surprising to learn that besides concussions, a common injury doctors see is to the eye.
Abramczyk-Thill said in any sport, parents might consider getting protective eye gear for athletes in all sports. This should become as common as the helmet and mouth guards, she added.
Learn the signs
Because concussions receive the most media attention and are one of the injuries coaches and parents are more vigilant about, it is important to understand the signs and symptoms, especially the subtle ones no one expects.
“There are some common myths out there,” she said. “One of those being that they will show symptoms right away. Signs and symptoms can be delayed.”
Because of the variety of symptoms someone with a concussion might show, Abramczyk-Thill said it is important to know the child well and be weary of any sudden changes in the following: • Mood – Are they more irritable and irrational? • Are they sad or depressed suddenly? • Are they complaining of headaches? • Are they getting confused easily and showing cognitive issues?
Abramczyk-Thill said all of these signs can come over days, not immediately after a head injury.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, other symptoms of a concussion include: • Inability to recall events prior to or after a hit or fall • Appears dazed and stunned • Moves clumsily • Answers questions slowly • Loses consciousness • Nausea or vomiting • Bothered by light or noise
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Winter injuries
Abramczyk-Thill said concussions are a common theme throughout the year, and doctors see a lot during the winter months.
While they see some sports injuries with falls and hits for indoor sports such as basketball and wrestling, the bulk of injuries can come form outside play.
Abramczyk-Thill said a statistic that may surprise parents is the head injuries associated with sledding. Whether it’s a small hill in the neighborhood or a day trip to the mountains, she said sleds move at a quick speed and crashes often cause head injuries.
Because of how hard a person can hit the ground in a crash, Abramczyk-Thill recommends requiring children to wear helmets while sledding. It has become more common in riding bikes, scooters and other equipment, and AbramczykThill said sledding should be added to the list.
“A lot of us grew up without wearing a helmet and, especially for something like sledding, we may not even think about it,” Abramczyk-Thill said. “It’s just important to protect your brain because you only have one.”
Arm, leg and head injuries are often associated with the ice. Abramczyk-Thill said whether it is a child, teenager or adult, during the winter ice causes a wide variety of injuries.
Abramczyk-Thill said it is important to clear driveways, sidewalks and areas where children are most active during the winter. It is also important to teach safety to children when ice is present, meaning not walking and playing on it.
Spring and summer
In school, spring sports brings baseball, track and fi eld and softball, which comes with more head injuries, especially when an athlete is hit by a line drive.
The warmer months also bring more outdoor activities, including riding ATVs, Abramczyk-Thill said.
Abramczyk-Thill said a variety of ages ride ATVs and there are usually lax rules with wearing helmets and rules for passengers.
Seeing ATV injuries from a passenger falling without a helmet is common, Abramczyk-Thill.
Year-round injuries
In what is a year-round struggle for doctors, Abramczyk-Thill said hospitals often see children who were in the wrong car seat or not in one at all.
Abramczyk-Thill said which seat a child is sitting in should never about their age. It should always be about their size.
Abramczyk-Thill explained that if a child is not big enough to be sitting in a seat with just a seatbelt, their knees do not quite reach properly over the edge of the seat. In the event of a crash, their bodies tend to slip under the seatbelt restraints and serious injuries can happen.
The CDC reported that when it comes to car crashes, a large number of child deaths and injuries are due to improper restraints. In 2019, more than 600 children 12 and younger died in motor vehicle crashes, and more than 91,000 were injured. Of the children 12 and younger who died in a crash (for whom restraint use was known), 38% were not buckled up. Parents and caregivers can make a lifesaving difference by checking whether their children are properly buckled on every trip.
CDC recommendations include:
• Rear-facing seats from birth until ages 2 to 4, depending on weight and state law. • Forward-facing car seat is not to be used for children until age 5, depending on weight and state law. • Booster seat should be used once a child outgrows a forward-facing car seat and kept until a child fi ts safely on a seat with knees over the edge.
