New Recommendations for Monitoring Young Athletes with Concussions

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping young athletes off playing fields for 7 to 10 days after concussions.

An athlete is knocked unconscious in the first half of a game, only to trot out at the beginning of the second half to resume play. For decades, this scenario has been played out on athletic fields around the country. However, during the past few years, experts have suggested that children and adolescents who suffer concussions, regardless of whether loss of consciousness occurs, should not return to sport without substantial rest. This year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a detailed policy statement about sports-related concussions in children (JW Pediatr Adolesc Med Sep 29 2010), and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) issued a preliminary communication on concussions in adolescents and young adults (age range, 15–2…

Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)