Concussions and the Classroom

About 300,000 high school and college athletes gets diagnosed with concussions. This does not include middle-school athletes, students who play for sports on travel or local teams, students who play sports for fun, and students who get concussions while doing every day activities. The main concern for these student athletes is usually when can they go back to playing sports; however, an even bigger and less stressed question is when can the student go back to classes. These student athletes need to worry about their academics.

When a person has a concussion the doctor cannot tell the person exactly when he will be healed because it is different for everyone, so he provides a timetable that is as accurate as possible. In order for these students to make a timely and successful return to classes there must be communication between the student, parent, and the teacher. Each person with a concussion experiences different aggravated symptoms. These symptoms include: headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light, and difficulty concentrating. A student should slowly ease into school instead of trying to take a full day of classes. One of the worst possible things to do is bother the student. Constantly asking a student whether he is feeling well or if he has a headache is going to cause that student to get irritated and have that headache. The best way to treat a concussion is being cautious and patient.

I believe that in student athletes the student part should be the more important part. When students get injured their main goal should be to return to class, not to return to the field. Teachers, doctors, students, and parents together need to help the student recover as quickly as possible. The best way to heal from a concussion is patience. One must relax and stay out of danger while concussed. Schools need to focus more on returning students to academics and not worry about their participation on sports teams.