Pediatric concussion, Part 2
There are many healthcare providers that can diagnose a concussion; however chiropractors are the only healthcare providers trained to address the cervicogenic changes that may be driving a number of your child’s symptoms.4 Research is still limited on pediatric concussions in general, but in case studies and case series chiropractic care has demonstrated to assist in a full resolution of the symptoms in 2-8 visits over 2-5 weeks after initial injury.5-6 It is also important to note that a resolution of symptoms at rest does not mean that your child has completely recovered and full stepwise return-to-play protocol over a minimum of five days is considered the gold standard for safe reintroduction of activity.2-3 There is always a risk of development of delayed symptoms, particularly in females.7 Cognitive rest in the initial period after injury should always be encouraged. You should always work with an experienced healthcare provider in order to determine a safe care plan for your child and sport-certified pediatric chiropractors have the education and experience to help you.8
Pediatric and sports chiropractors have been trained to examine children and adults with concussion and often are able to help those people with post-concussion syndrome that we not helped by traditional health care providers.
References
4. Shannon N, Patricios J. Sports-related concussion: assessing the comprehension, collaboration, and contribution of chiropractors. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2022;30(1):NA–NA. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-022-00471-z
5. Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics : Editorial. jccponline.com. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://jccponline.com/Concussion-Vol17-01.html
6. Chiropractic management of three young athletes with concussion. Chiropractic Journal of Australia (Online), 46(1), 29–47. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.903767969878389
7. Onicas AI, Deighton S, Keith Owen Yeates, et al. Longitudinal Functional Connectome in Pediatric Concussion: An Advancing Concussion Assessment in Pediatrics Study. Journal of Neurotrauma. Published online August 23, 2023. doi:https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2023.0183
8. Moreau WJ, Nabhan DC, Walden T. Sport Concussion Knowledge and Clinical Practices: A Survey of Doctors of Chiropractic With Sports Certification. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. 2015;14(3):169-175. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2015.08.003