Keep Your Head in the Game

Dear Parent/Guardian/Coach/Official,

Concussions are a major topic in the sports world today at all age groups. They are serious equal opportunity injuries that effect both boys and girls in every sport (including non-contact sports.) For the few people in the world that still thinks that concussions are not serious or that they will not happen to you (or your child) please give me a few minutes of your time.

I am not a doctor nor claim to have any educational expertise on this subject. I do have plenty of experiences with concussions and feel that I can have some opinion on that matter. I played contact sports from age 5-the end of college at age 20. I participated in any sport I could try including taekwondo, volleyball, softball, track, tennis, and basketball. My favorite above the rest would be soccer. Still to this day I live and breathe for the sport.

I have had at least six documented concussions on record. I say “at least”, because there is a difference of opinion in my home. My mother would say seven. Most of my concussions have come while playing soccer. (Yes, I still love it.)

Concussion awareness was just beginning when I was in college, so before that it was almost unheard of. In fact, my first concussion is a point of laughter with certain friends. I was around 12-13 years old and I got elbowed in head. I got confused and when the halftime whistle blew I lined up to shake hands...typically only done at the END of the game. (okay, that is sort of funny....)

My next few concussions were not as humorous. I would usually get temporary memory loss, have ringing in my ears, and always have significant nausea. During the recovery from my fourth concussion, I was extremely sensitive to light and sound making it difficult to attend class or even leave my dorm room. The symptoms only increased for the following injury.

My parents and I were never ever told that I should stop playing. (Remember, this topic was only beginning at the tail end of my college days.) This was not even a possibility mentioned by anyone at that time.

I will not play the “what if” game. Ultimately, it was my decision to keep playing. With that being said, I wish to urge you as a parent/guardian/coach/official of a child athlete to be serious about concussion prevention, management, and treatment. Brain injuries are serious matters that can alter your life forever. I can say that, because my decision to keep playing has changed my life.

It has been 5 years since my last official “major” concussion. I have had so many injuries that I now have lesions on my brain. Last January, I was in a car accident and did not even hit my head, but still had the symptoms of mild concussion. I have trouble concentrating on reading anything for a long time. I also have frequent headaches and ringing in my ears. I also have significant issues with hormone changes in my body. (One of the lesion sits on my pituitary gland. If you have questions about this I would be happy to answer privately.) I also have slight sensitivities to bright lights more than I used to. I have hearing loss in both ears that could be due to the head injuries. I also had disturbances to my sleep pattern for several years following my last major injury.

I could go more in depth, but I think you get the picture. I could also throw numbers and statistics at you, but unless you have lived under a rock the last 5 years you have heard them all.

All of this is to urge you to please take caution with your children. If the have ANY of the symptoms of a concussion, they should not play. It also should not be up to the child whether they play or not. If they have symptoms, be the adult and protect them. The child/youth may be upset for missing a few games, but in the grand scheme of things that could save them trouble later in life.

If in your sport you have the optional helmet or face guard, always have your child wear it. In soccer even, there are head guards that could protect against flying elbows and incorrect headers.

I am not advocating the demise of youth sports. I seriously enjoy sports at every level and if I am blessed with children one day they will probably play. I am advocating the protection of your children. Their futures as doctors, lawyers, teachers, roofers, or mail carriers is MUCH more important then missing one U14 soccer tournament.

Kourtney Campbell