Kids’ Concussion Recovery: Fresh Insights

In children, recovering from a concussion is like a snakes and ladders game, as there are times where they may have rapid improvement and climb through the steps more quickly, and other times where returning symptoms mean they have to take a slide back.

CanChild, a McMaster University research institute has developed new guidelines that reduce the amount of rest required for children recovering from a concussion.

"For children, recovering from a concussion is like a snakes and ladders //game, as there are times where they may have rapid improvement and climb through the steps more quickly, and other times where returning symptoms mean they have to take a slide back," said author Carol DeMatteo, professor of rehabilitation science and a CanChild researcher.

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‘Among children in Canada, the average age for a sport-related concussion is 13.5 years old, and that in Hamilton and Canada, the most common sports resulting in concussive injuries for boys is hockey, and for girls is soccer.’

"Our new research, along with our review of studies from all over the world, has led us to update the guidelines for recovery, and we have different but compatible guidelines for returning to school and for returning to activity including sport.

"Families have always felt the recovery instructions were too restrictive and difficult to follow. We now know that too much rest after concussion is not a good thing, and children can begin some activity sooner as long as they don't overdo it and make their symptoms worse."

She said the updates suggest that during the first 24 hours, home and leisure activities may be undertaken as long as they are only for five minutes at a time, and stopped if symptoms increase. The guidelines give pathways for three categories of concussions: For those who are symptom free within 48 hours of the injury, those who are symptom free or much decreased within one to four weeks, and those who have the symptoms for more than four weeks.

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DeMatteo said the recovery has been broken into stages, and each stage outlines the goal, activities allowed and what to look for before moving to the next stage. For example, at stage two in getting back to school, children are allowed to walk, have 15 minutes of screen time or school work twice a day, and socialize with one or two friends for no more than 30 minutes.

DeMatteo said the most important thing to remember is that every child is different and will progress at their own pace based on the severity of their symptoms.