Columbia Memorial | Health Compass | Summer 2019

“The second concussion or the third concussion is more severe, and the recovery is longer,” says Dr. Martin. “Even though most kids feel better within about two weeks, your brain is not back to normal for about a year.” It’s also more vulnerable to reinjury during that time, “which is why it’s so important to protect your head,” she says. After the second concussion, Kellan had migraine-type headaches, with light and sound sensitivity. He had trouble sleeping and struggled to stay awake. He also had trouble concentrating and was grumpy. With extended brain rest, accommodations at school and sitting out for the rest of the football season, Kellan’s ImPACT test scores began to slowly improve. Dr. Martin says she tells kids, “If you don’t rest, you’re never going to get better—it’s just like a broken arm. But your brain is more important!” Now, months later, Kellan remembers most how boring it was to be cut off from his regular activities for weeks, and how difficult it was to catch up in school. “It was a lot of falling behind and then a lot of catching up,” he says. He’s looking forward to his senior year and playing football in the fall. His mother, Melissa Patterson, says she worries that Kellan could be reinjured. “You wonder if high school football is worth it,” she says. “You just don’t want them to ever get another one.” However, she says: “He loves the game. He loves the team.” Taking precautions While football tends to draw a lot of attention, other sports also cause high numbers of concussions. Rankin says behind football, girls’ soccer is the second most concussed sport, followed by girls’ basketball. The risk for Kellan and others like him is post-concussive syndrome, in which concussion symptoms stick around for months and even years. Dr. Martin says people with post-concussive syndrome often experience persistent headaches, poor performance at school or work, difficulty concentrating, and depression. Rankin works with injured athletes across the county. “Athletes often don’t want to let their team down; let their coach or their parents down, as the team is the most important thing to them—especially if they’re having a good season,” he says. “Furthermore, many don’t know or believe that a concussion is a serious issue and believe they can simply play through it because they’re ‘tough.’ It can be a silent injury. No one can see the headache someone else is experiencing or realize they’re having issues until grades start to slide.” He tells his players, “You can be a tough guy all you want with your arms and legs, but when it comes to your head, we have to know.” Since Rankin began administering the ImPACT test in schools seven years ago, the number of student-athletes he’s followed through concussion treatment has risen. He attributes this to more kids turning out for sports and better awareness in youth sports of the risk that repeated concussions pose to our children’s well-being. “As a parent, we can’t put them in a bubble,” Rub says. “We try to help them do what they love to do—and be as safe as possible while doing it.” COLUMBIAMEMORIAL.ORG SUMMER 2019 5