There are different schools of thought on how children and teens should be treated for concussions. As part of our continuing Fit Kids February coverage, our Health Reporter Erin Billups discussed the dilemma with an expert.
It is agreed that rest should follow a concussion, but how much rest and for how long are questions still being explored by head-trauma experts.
"There's a wide variation in both the way that kids are treated in the return to learn, so returning to school after a concussion, and also return to play, returning to sports and other activities after concussion," says Mount Sinai Roosevelt Hospital neurologist Dr. Joshua Cohen.
He says kids and teens should get one to two days of rest following a concussion, slowly reintroducing physical activity into his or her routine.
"We usually ask for them to be excused from tests or other more stressful cognitive activities for at least the first day or two," Dr. Cohen says.
City schools will not allow a student to resume athletic activities until at least 24 hours have passed without concussion symptoms.
Some doctors prescribe even longer periods of rest. For example, some will prescribe five days with strict mental breaks, meaning no TV or computer - even reading has to be kept to a minimum.
However, a recent study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal found that strict rest may not be the best prescription for those 11 to 22 years old, and that it could possibly lead to even worse problems.
"The stress from being out of school may be one of the factors that cause symptoms to worsen and to be prolonged in those who had longer periods of rest," says Dr. Cohen.
A blow to the head can change the way the brain works, causing difficulty thinking, headaches, dizziness. Multiple concussions can lead to more serious issues, including memory loss and depression.
Cohen says there needs to be a standardized response to treating concussions in kids.
"Providing good evidence-based guidelines for how to manage a child after concussion so that we appropriately return them to learning and return them to play," he says.
This spring, Cohen, along with other experts in the concussion field and in education, hopes to do just that - starting with a conference at Mount Sinai Hospital.