Does my teen need to quit sports after three concussions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is 15 and has had three concussions in his lifetime. The latest was this sports season. The pediatrician is telling him to quit sports. That seems extreme. They are not extreme concussions. Is this standard practice? The sport is lacrosse.

Holy cr@p is this even a question.
YES. it’s time to redirect to another sport or interest.

[Anonymous]

He needs to stop whatever sport is causing it and anything of similar risk.

Don't play with this.

- former football mom.

[Anonymous]

My kid played lacrosse for twelve years and never had a concussion. So either way, it doesn't sound like this is the sport for him. By 15, he's missing the skills to keep this sport safe for him.

[Anonymous]

She didn’t say that lax caused the concussions. My kid has had at least two concussions and neither caused by her sport. She feel off a jungle gym at age 8 and tripped and banged her head at age 15.

I’m not sure if people’s answers would be different if the concussions were caused by other things. Is the issue just that he should not be playing a contact sport if he has had multiple concussions because he is now considered high risk?
I had a friend who was advised no contact sports for life because he had a neck injury that put him at high risk for any future injury. Not sure if having a history of past concussions is like that.

[Anonymous]

One issue with concussions is that we don't truly recuperate from them for many reasons. We can have "concussive events," such as the loss of a loved one, that negatively affect our brain. When we don't adequately rest or nourish our body, then these concussions or concussive events can pile on one another and cause issues down the line.

Getting POTS after a concussion is just one of many possible negative scenarios:
https://coloradointegrativeneurology.com/neurological-health/have-you-suffered-since-a-concussion-you-might-have-pots/

If the doctor said to stop, I'd stop. Why would you not listen to the doctor about this?

It's terrible that they don't wear helmets in lacrosse to prevent this, and that should be changed to protect people's lives. Because people don't die, they don't do enough. However, having a life-long illness like POTS or other is serious.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Well, I mean track & field or swimming would be great.

You can bang your head swimming colliding with a swimmer coming the other way or miscounting your backstroke strokes into the wall.

Have 4 swimmers. Concussion exceedingly uncommon.

It can and does happen, hence the protocols.
https://www.jackrabbitclass.com/blog/swimming-and-concussions/

Michael Phelps banged heads with another swimmer during warms up at a meet I think I recall.

It's less likely that the OP's son will become a synchro swimmer but there's this...
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/02/sports/olympics/artistic-synchronized-swimming-concussions.html

Concussions occur in waterpolo and diving too.

Water polo, absolutely.

I am not saying there are no concussion in swimming, but I would say I know 100 swimmers- many in advanced groups and don’t know a single kid who has had a concussion. I know at least a dozen kids- probably more- that have had concussions in lacrosse and soccer. More if you add baseball and basketball.

It is rare.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it sounds like he needs to find a new sport. Three concussions is insane. How is he doing in school? How is his behavior?

[Anonymous]

One can assume the child’s doctor has all the details about the three concussions op mentions and the doctor says stop.

What’s the debate?

[Anonymous]

If all three concussions occurred while playing lacrosse, it's definitely time to move on to a different sport - crew, swimming, track. 3 concussions by 15 is no bueno.

[Anonymous]

I imagine this is very upsetting for your son and that is why you’re asking. DS 16 plays soccer and when he has been injured and forced to sit out with something like an ankle sprain, he becomes very depressed. It’s so hard to watch them missing out on something they love. But I really worry about him getting a concussion because I watched what my older son went through when it happened to him. It was just awful. We let him return to sports but were hypervigilant after. Any suspected head injury means coming out and being medically cleared. If my 16 year old gets one concussion and a specialist allows him to return to play, then I will allow that to happen. But 2 is my hard limit. The damage lasts a lifetime. There are other sports they can play that have significantly reduced risks so it’s not that they can’t be active. I’d likely encourage track, cross country, swimming, golf or tennis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is 15 and has had three concussions in his lifetime. The latest was this sports season. The pediatrician is telling him to quit sports. That seems extreme. They are not extreme concussions. Is this standard practice? The sport is lacrosse.

this is three concussions-that you know of- there could be another one that did not get caught. Take the doctor’s advice. My family’ s rule is 1 concussion and you are done.

[Anonymous]

My son is playing rugby and we have a 1 severe or 2 mild then out agreement.

[Anonymous]

Yes, he should quit team sports. Could do something less likely to get hurt, like tennis or running or something. I would have told him to quit after the second concussion.

[Anonymous]

Are we saying they are not extreme because he did not land in a coma? OP, please get your priorities straight. Your child’s doctor that knows your child medically is recommending that he exits the sport but you rather ask people on a message board for approval to keep him in?