Concussion

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Neurosurgery Team

(502) 583-1697

Norton Children’s board-certified and fellowship-trained neurologists are the leading providers of concussion care in Louisville, Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

Norton Children’s Hospital is the pediatric teaching hospital for the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Our physicians have expertise in their fields and are training the next generation of pediatric specialists.

We’ll determine the severity of your child’s concussion and create a treatment plan that minimizes risk, so your child can get back to being a kid.

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What is a concussion?

The terms concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been used interchangeably. Concussions commonly are associated with injuries sustained during sports play, motor vehicle accidents or other traumatic injuries involving the head.

Concussions can occur without a loss of consciousness. The severity and duration of symptoms do not always correlate with the perceived severity of injury.

Concussion symptoms

Acute symptoms may involve loss of consciousness, confusion, slow response time, clumsiness, memory loss, headache, nausea or vomiting, blurred or double vision, light or sound sensitivity, and mood changes.

If your child has slurring of speech or speech changes, a decreased level of alertness, seizures, imbalance, or weakness in a part of the body, you should take him or her to see a medical professional immediately. If you suspect your child has a concussion, call your child’s pediatrician or have them evaluated in the emergency department.

Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis of concussion or traumatic brain injury relies on documenting what happened as well as your child’s actions and responses following the injury and having a thorough neurologic examination. If indicated, our medical team may perform a CT scan or MRI scan of the head.

How to treat a concussion

Treatment consists of resting the brain and avoiding further brain injury. It is important that your child get plenty of sleep. They should avoid electronic devices. In some cases, your child may need to limit school time. This should be discussed with your doctor.

Once your child’s symptoms have resolved, your doctor will discuss a gradual return to activities. The goal is to get your child to resume regular activities as safely as possible.

How long does a concussion last?

Sometimes, acute symptoms such as headache, fatigue and mood changes can persist and become chronic. Our multidisciplinary team will work with your child to help manage ongoing symptoms.

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