For many parents, playing football, baseball or soccer is an important part of childhood. Unfortunately, participating in childhood sports greatly increases the chances of a child suffering a brain injury.

Sports Related Brain Injuries in Boys

It is not surprising that playing football is the most common cause of brain injuries in boys. Despite the padding and helmets used, hard tackles can cause serious brain injuries. Parents who have sons or daughters playing full contact football need to be aware of the potential risks and the types of injuries their children can suffer as a result of playing the sport. Some of the most common childhood brain injuries caused by football include:

  • Concussions
  • Closed Head Injuries
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries
Sports Related Brain Injuries in Girls

For girls, the sport that causes the most childhood head injuries is soccer. Common causes of head injuries in soccer include:

  • Heading another player when fighting to head a ball
  • Being hit in the head by a ball unexpectedly
  • Collisions with other players
  • Hitting the goal post
  • Falling and hitting the ground

Concussions and other head injuries can occur in various sports; football and soccer just happen to cause the highest number of head injuries in children. There are some studies that suggest that the more aggressive a player is in any sport, the higher the chance that they will suffer a serious head injury (regardless of whether or not the sport presents a high risk of head injuries).

Second Impact Syndrome

It is important to remember that if a head injury can happen once, it can happen multiple times. This means that if your child has suffered a head injury, they need to stop playing whatever sport they participate in until their brain has time to completely heal. If the brain isn’t given sufficient time to heal, and a second brain injury occurs, your child runs the risk of developing Second Impact Syndrome. This syndrome often causes uncontrollable, fatal brain swelling. The only way to avoid Second Impact Syndrome is to ensure that your child does not suffer a second head injury before the first one has time to heal.

At The Ernst Law Group, we represent children who have suffered brain injuries as a result of playing sports and can help you decide if pursuing a lawsuit is an option in your situation. We offer free consultations; call us today to discuss your case.