Protecting your child from traumatic brain injury
As Brain Injury Awareness Month kicks off, the Brain Injury Alliance of Wisconsin is reminding parents that in spring and summer months, head injuries are more common among children. Often this is because with nice weather, children spend more time playing outside and participating in sports. The CDC reports that more than 600,000 people will […]
As Brain Injury Awareness Month kicks off, the Brain Injury Alliance of Wisconsin is reminding parents that in spring and summer months, head injuries are more common among children.
Often this is because with nice weather, children spend more time playing outside and participating in sports.
The CDC reports that more than 600,000 people will visit an emergency room this year as a result of a bike injury and one-third of those injuries will be some sort of head trauma.
Kevin Pasqua with the Brain Injury Alliance of Wisconsin joined Real Milwaukee recently to talk about the best ways to prevent head injuries.
Pasqua explains that wearing a helmet when bike riding, skateboarding, rock climbing, or being involved with any high-risk activity is crucial. The foam insert inside of a helmet is what takes the brunt of an impact, so it’s important to not only wear one, but to wear a helmet that fits correctly.
A helmet should sit right above your child’s eyebrows parallel to their forehead. It shouldn’t cover the child’s eyes or slide down easily. It should also have a chin strap to help hold it in place. The head should move with the helmet and it shouldn’t slip around, according to Pasqua. A properly worn helmet can protect a child from brain injury if they fall off a bike or other toy and hit their head.
Some of the physical signs of a brain injury Pasqua pointed out during the interview include a loss of consciousness (for a few seconds to a few minutes), headaches, sensitivity to light, mood swings, being dazed or disoriented following a blow to the head, nausea, vomiting, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, dizziness, sleeping more than usual and a loss of balance.
Pasqua said if a child hits his head and has just one of the symptoms, they really should be checked out by a doctor.
The Brain Injury Alliance of Wisconsin (BIAW) provides education, advocacy, prevention, information & resources, and support services to brain injury survivors, their families, and the people who serve them throughout the State.
BIAW is a non-profit organization that brings together people with brain injuries, their families, friends, and concerned professionals.
It’s the BIAW’s mission to help prevent brain injury and encourage the full participation in life for individuals with brain injury.
BIAW was formed in 1980 by a group of individuals with brain injury, their family members, friends and professionals, in response to the lack of available services specific to the unique needs of individuals with brain injury.
