Youth recreational and competitive sports have been the norm across the United States for years, with children as young as three getting in on the action. While sports teach teamwork, cooperation and respect for authority, they can also be dangerous, with young athletes sustaining injuries including serious concussions. Even more sobering, a recent study has shown that girls suffer almost twice as long from concussive symptoms, such as disorientation, headaches and nausea, than their male counterparts.
Examining Gender Differences in Sports Concussions
A recent study published in the October 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association examined the differences between first-time concussion sufferers among middle- to high-school age athletes. Out of a group of 110 males and 102 females aged 11-18, it was found that a large percentage of female athletes took significantly longer to recover from their post-concussive symptoms than male athletes. In fact, 75% of boys recovered completely within three weeks, while only 32% of the girls in the study had the same recovery time.
Recognizing Post-Concussive Syndrome
Many researchers believe that more study is needed to determine other factors outside of gender that may be at play in these scenarios, but it is clear that girls have a harder time recovering from the effects of a concussion. The aftermath of a concussion, in which patients most commonly experience prolonged headaches and dizziness, is known as post-concussive syndrome.
It’s important to understand that these symptoms aren’t necessarily going to show up right away and go away within a few days. Sometimes they don’t appear until a week after the initial injury, and once they start, they can last for weeks and even months. If it’s been three months or more and a child is still experiencing post-concussive symptoms, they may be among the 30% of individuals who develop binocular vision dysfunction after a concussion. Other indicators to look for include:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Anxiety
- Sensitivity to noise and/or light
- Fatigue
- Unusual irritability
- Poor memory and concentration
The Relationship Between Post-Concussive Syndrome and Binocular Vision Dysfunction
Many of the aforementioned post-concussive symptoms can also be signs of binocular vision dysfunction, a misalignment of the eyes that’s easily treatable with prismatic lenses. If your child has sustained a concussion and is still experiencing post-concussive symptoms, it’s important to be seen by an expert – Dr. Cheryl Berger Israeloff at the Neuro Visual Center of New York. Dr. Israeloff and our other dedicated professionals are very experienced in treating patients with post-concussive syndrome.
At the Neuro Visual Center of New York, we want patients of all ages to feel safe and comfortable, which is why we take the time to help each one fully understand their condition before conducting any neuro visual examinations. If your daughter suffered a sports concussion and is still experiencing post-concussive vision problems, you need caring, dedicated eye specialists taking care of her. Give us a call today at (516) 224-4888 to schedule her first appointment to get her vision back on track.
