JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Atlantic Coast High School JV quarterback Chase Whittle can't remember much about the play that landed him on the sidelines.
"I literally blacked out for a second," said 15-year-old Chase.
He's one of the lucky ones. His trainer knew something was off--so he checked Chase thoroughly, and finally determined he was suffering from a concussion. His mom, Debbie, says she was surprised to hear the news.
"I was shocked because, normally you would think of a very hard hit and this just did not look like such a hard hit," she said.
Chase is part of a growing number of kids who are being diagnosed with concussions--in fact, the number of head injuries in kids has doubled in just a decade. Concussions are brain injuries caused by a sudden blow to the body. The brain shakes inside the skull--and the damage temporarily prevents the brain from functioning normally.
Chase didn't realize how badly he'd damaged his brain until he was in class the next day. The normally straight-A student took a test, and flunked. That's when his family began to suspect the effects of the hit he'd taken on the field were much more serious than they'd previously thought.
According to doctors, concussions aren't always easy to diagnose because you can't see the injury and the symptoms are varied. That's why, according to the Florida Hospital Concussion Program, as much as 50 percent of concussions in middle and high school kids are missed by a doctor or trainer.
What's even more alarming is that kids are getting these kinds of injuries from normal activities. We weren't surprised to find that kids who played football and hockey topped the concussion risk list--but off the field, activities like snow-skiing, bicycling, and playground injuries were also high.
The numbers also show that in high school sports, girls are two times more likely to get concussions than boys who play the same sports.
"I see a lot of concussions," says Dr. Ross Osborn, a local sports medicine expert. "The kids now are being trained year round and the normal 13 year old kid is bigger, faster, stronger. He's also going to facilities where they train kids to be stronger, faster, so they generate more force."
But not all of the news on concussions is bad. Dr. Osborn says the medical community is aware of the rising risk--and that's why there's more medical superivision on the sidelines. Scientists are also working on a simple blood test to help determing if someone has a concussion. It would be quick and easy--tested with a painless finger-prick.
But until that technology is available, parents need to be more aware of the signs of concussion. Here are some indicators from the experts at Mayo Clinic.
* Confusion
* Slurred speech
* Sensitivity to light and noise
Dr. Osborn says each concussion is different. It could take one kid one day to heal from a concussion and take another an entire week. The only common factor in concussions is the only way to treat them is with rest.
After a week off from sports, Chase Whittle says he was better. But his family wishes they'd done things differently.
"I would not send him to school the following day," said mom, Debbie. "I would make sure he sees a physician that evening and then get a doctor's note before he's allowed back at school."
Chase is back to playing sports now. An active teen, he's on the football, basketball, lacrosse and soccer teams. He says his experience with a concussion won't stop him from playing altogether, but at least now he has a heads up on concussions and the consequences.
