Concussions Outside of Sports

Many people hear the word “concussion” and associate it with sports injuries, but only 40% of concussions in children occur from contact sports. Concussions are a mild form of a traumatic brain injury, but still a potentially lethal injury, and there are many other scenarios outside of sports that can result in concussions in children.

While sports are often supervised and sport contact-related head injuries are more likely to be seen by an adult, many everyday activities both in and out of school can result in concussions that aren’t necessarily witnessed. Because of this, recognizing the signs of concussion becomes paramount in getting children the medical care they need. In this article, we will cover non-sports-related activities that can lead to concussions and the importance for all school staff to be able to recognize concussion symptoms.

Activities That Can Lead to Concussions

There are many school-related daily activities outside of sports that can lead to head injuries and concussions.

Concussion Risks in School

More obvious risk areas include the playground, recess, or gym class. Here, recreational activities can include running, jumping, sport or playground equipment, and can be a catalyst for various injuries. However, there are also less obvious activities, like a slip in the hallway, bathroom, or lunchroom that could result in a head injury. Perhaps the student doesn’t hit their head on the ground, but rather bumps it on a wall, a sink, or a locker as they fall. Perhaps the student trips getting off the school bus, falls down the hallway stairs, or hits their head on a desk while rising from picking something up off the ground. Maybe a heavy object such as a textbook or instrument falls off a shelf or out of a locker, or even a scuffle between students results in a blow to the head.

Concussion Risks Outside of School

There are also many everyday activities outside of school that can result in concussions including car accidents, colliding with a sibling in the backyard, riding a bike or skateboard, or even trampolines and theme park rides. Unfortunately, abuse at home can also lead to concussions in students. It is important to note that a concussion does not always have to be a bump or blow to the head; it can also be from any type of blow to the body that results in the head rapidly moving back and forth.

The Challenge of Delayed Concussion Symptoms

A challenge that comes with such injuries is that concussion symptoms may not show immediately, and if/when they do, symptoms are not always extreme. Every brain reacts differently and can also be impacted by repeated or past concussions. It is important to watch for concussion symptoms days after an incident.

However, this also creates the possibility that a student will have sustained a head injury outside of school or school-related sports and begin to experience concussion symptoms much later when they are back in the classroom. An added challenge may also be that the injury was not seen by an adult, or perhaps even hidden by the student because of abuse, or because they were doing something at time of the injury they fear they’d receive punishment for.

Concussions in Students with Special Needs

Students with pre-existing disabilities also face unique challenges regarding concussions. Individuals who are blind or visually impaired can have a reduced ability to be aware of their surroundings and pose the risk of running into other objects, people, or falling. Those with developmental disabilities, gait dysfunction, muscle weakness, epilepsy, and many more neurological disorders or intellectual disabilities also have an increased fall risk.

There are also challenges in receiving accurate testing and diagnosis as certain assessments require modification based on the student’s disability and what tests are applicable. Some concussion symptoms can resemble pre-existing symptoms causing further diagnosis challenges, and recovery time may be prolonged depending on the disability.

Students who struggle with anxiety and depression may experience worsening of their symptoms after a concussion as a stress response. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is another example of a pre-concussion condition that can worsen as a stress response to a concussion.

Recognition and Response

Addressing the needs of an affected student during the school day is equally as important as addressing concussions in school athletics. Symptoms of a concussion can negatively impact a student’s learning, emotion regulation, and behavioral functioning in the classroom. Furthermore, appropriate management is essential for reducing the risk of long-term symptoms and complications associated with concussions.

Common Concussion Symptoms

Many states have laws that require schools to develop guidelines for managing concussions in school athletics, but most of these laws do not apply to concussions that occur away from sports, nor do they address the learning needs of a student diagnosed with a concussion. Because of this, training your school staff how to identify and appropriately respond to a student with a concussion is paramount. Should school staff suspect a student has a concussion, they should be sent to the school nurse, certified athletic trainer, or other school health professional.

Classroom Accommodations

If a student has been diagnosed with a concussion by a physician, the note an educator receives may vary by provider. Some physicians may give very detailed academic accommodations required for the effected student that is easy for educators to follow. Other physicians may give a general note with very little information. In this case, educators will need to help determine what type of academic assistance the student may need. To learn more about classroom courses of action, you can visit An Educator’s Guide to Concussions in the Classroom.

Training Beyond Sports

Online training beyond athletics can provide valuable information to your staff on an automated and reoccurring basis. This helps ensure all educators and new hire staff receive appropriate training, and returning staff stay up to date on the latest information. Courses such as Concussion in Schools – Return to Learn can play a crucial role in educating your staff on:

• What a concussion is
• How to identify a student with a concussion
• How to respond to a concussion
• The recovery needs of a person with a concussion
• How the symptoms of concussion can affect a student
• How to support a student in the educational environment following a concussion

 

Start with Awareness and Training to Improve Concussion Outcomes

It’s evident that concussions in children extend far beyond sports, constituting a broader and often underestimated risk in various everyday activities. And while we would love for students to never get hurt, that’s an unrealistic goal. What we can do is strive for effective response and management, to not only mitigate immediate risks, but to avert long-term complications associated with concussions. In order to do that, teachers and staff must be properly trained.

Ultimately, by fostering a culture of awareness and providing the necessary training, schools can create a safer environment for students, both in and out of the classroom. Together, let’s prioritize the well-being of our students and ensure that every member of the school community is prepared to address the challenges associated with concussions.