Nearly 2 Million Concussions In Kids' Sports Yearly
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--Sports and play-time dangers. A new study finds that concussions in children and teens are a larger problem than doctors previously thought.
A day at the park takes planning and precaution for Janine and James McKethan.
"Mainly we just try to stay close to her, where if she does fall we are close enough to catch her," said Janine McKethan.
Parents keeping a close eye as a new report estimates as many as 2 million children and teens suffer concussions during sports and play activities each year.
"I try to encourage them by being close to them so at least there's an extra set of hands if they fall," said Sachin Ramchandani, who's a parent of a 3-year-old.
The study uses 2013 data from hospitals, high school athletic reports and concussion studies and finds that concussions have been under-reported for years.
"It may be as many as half of those children are not getting care for their concussion and that really worries me," said Dr. Stacey Suskauer, Director of Brain Injuries Rehab. Program with Kennedy Krieger Institute.
She says parents can help protect their children by using "helmets on bicycles, scooters, certainly for sports play, making sure that a child is feeling their best when."
The Centers for Disease Control plans to create a system, to track concussions in children and adults.
The CDC will use the new system to identify which sports and activities are the riskiest for kids.
"Even if it's just a little fall, look after it because you never know the little one might be the big one" said James McKethan.
Signs of concussions include headaches, confusion and dizziness.
A CDC study published last month said playground-related concussions also have increased in recent years.
READ MORE on the new study HERE.
