Let’s say you’re watching your child play sports on campus and suddenly he gets hit directly on the head or face.
I know this isn’t such a pleasant thing to think about but if your child is an athlete in football, hockey or soccer, it’s certainly a reality.
You rush out there to the field and by the time you get there, your son has a huge headache, neck pain and appears wobbly on his feet.
You take him home but within a few minutes, you are prompted by intuition to take him to the ER.
It’s a good thing you did because you observe him acting irritable and moody and almost confused at times.
The doctors diagnose him with a concussion but all they can do is send him home with you so you can watch him.
You will have to make sure he doesn’t go unconscious; otherwise, you’ll have to bring him back.
You feel helpless.
However, there is something you can do.
You can take your child athlete to your chiropractor.
Here’s why you would want to do this:
- A blow to the head is a lot like whiplash. It will cause a misalignment of the cervical spine.
- Now I say that without any official studies backing me because who is going to do a study where volunteers sign up to get whacked in the head? No one.
- So you have to go with the next best information – what do chiropractors say about their patients? Did they ever have a patient who was smacked in the head and didn’t have a vertebrae out of place? They will tell you NO – all of them do – just like I would tell you that all my patients who have suffered from a concussion have a cervical vertebrae out of place. It’s inevitable.
- The symptoms from the concussion are related to the nervous system trying to give you a clue that it needs help.
- Headaches, the room spinning (vertigo), nausea, irritability, fatigue, confusion, neck pain, dizziness, ringing in the ears, moodiness, irritability and acting emotionally are all cries of help from the nervous system.
- Chiropractors may receive additional training in sports chiropractic and they are legitimate providers of aid for those who have suffered from a concussion.
- Dr. Westrick can give you solid advice on what to do and what not to do after your child suffers a concussion.
- For example, your child and/or his coach may want to get back into the game as soon as possible. This is not a smart move for someone who just had a concussion. It will take time to make sure his condition is stable – and that means his neck should be moving as it is supposed to be moving.
- Another important fact is that your child should not take any anti-inflammatory medications, aspirin or medications to make him sleep. These work against the brain when there’s been a concussion.
Eastside Chiropractic Center is the best place to care for the neck and cervical spine and a good choice for a health professional after a concussion.
