JU’s Dr. Teresa MacGregor discusses impact of concussions in “Nursed to Health” feature in Times-Union

JU’s regular “Nursed to Health” feature in the Wednesday, May 22, edition of The Florida Times-Union’s “H Health & Fitness” section focuses on an important question related to concussions in children: When should parents worry about a “minor accident” being something more serious?

Teresa MacGregor, a JU assistant professor of nursing and Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, discusses the warning signs and frequency of concussions, whether sport-related or not.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

It’s not just football players that can sustain concussions. A concussion can occur any time there is a blow to the head or body that causes the brain to rapidly move back and forth, creating disruption in brain cell function. This type of injury can have severe effects on the developing brain of children.

Working as a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care and pediatric neurosurgery for 14 years, I have seen firsthand the impact a concussion can have on children and their families.

Although it is difficult to estimate how many children suffer concussions each year, primary care providers assess children in the community each day with symptoms of a concussion. It is not unusual for me to evaluate one to two children per week who have been hospitalized because of complications of a concussion. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that hundreds of thousands of non-sports-related concussions occur annually, resulting from everything from motor vehicle accidents to falling to playground collisions.

It is vital that signs and symptoms of a concussion are recognized and examined by a health care practitioner following any injury that could result in a concussion.

Symptoms such as feeling “foggy,” dizziness, headache, amnesia, irritability, sadness, memory or concentration difficulties, nausea, vomiting, balance problems and light/sound issues may occur after a concussion. These may resolve within minutes, but sometimes continue for months.

Read the entire article by clicking here.