Brain Injury Awareness Week

This week is Brain Injury Awareness Week.

Westmead Children’s Hospital have developed a new Children and Concussion website, it has some valuable information for parents, teachers and sports coaches.

The facts
A concussion is an injury to the brain caused by sudden strong movement of the brain against the skull. This is caused by a collision with another person or object.

    Sport related concussion rates in children have risen by 60% in the past decade.
    Every week six children are seen with a concussion at the hospital’s Emergency Department.
    For every one concussion seen there are 15 or more children whose injury goes unrecognised or untreated.
    Only one in ten children with a concussion will lose consciousness so it is important to be on the lookout for warning signs which could appear immediately after a bump to the head or body, or over the following hours and days.