CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released guidelines for medical professionals when treating children with concussions.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, those guidelines include 19 sets of recommendations for treating concussions, or mild traumatic brain injuries. Each recommendation is assigned a level of obligation for medical providers to follow.
Dr. Brandon Stransky is an Emergency Medicine Physician at Conway Medical Center. He said these recommendations were already being practiced at CMC, but it holds all medical professionals accountable, so parents know their child is getting the best treatment. “The most important thing is it’s going to standardize it,” said Dr. Stransky. “It’s going to make it so whichever emergency department you go into, they’ll know exactly how to diagnose a concussion, what management they’ll need for a concussion, and then what to do after that, which is the most important part.”
Dr. Stransky said it’s important for kids and parents to know the severity of concussions, and what can come with not properly treating them. Ignoring it or not giving enough time for recovery can create long-term effects. “We’ve realized how difficult and prolonged these head injuries can be and how significant they can be on families, students, and them doing well academically,” said Dr. Stransky.
He said it’s important to remember when your child has a concussion, the brain has to heal. Taking kids away from the activity that initially caused the concussion is necessary, but also giving your kids time away from electronics and video games can help in that process. Dr. Stransky also said making sure kids are getting a healthy amount of sleep plays a part in recovery. To view the new CDC guidelines, click here.