How soon to skate after concussion?

[Kat12]

I have a message in for my doctor to call me about this, but she wasn't in last week and I'm just wondering what I'm likely to hear.

So for those of you who've had concussions in the past, how long did you have to wait before your doctor told you that you could skate again? Were there any caveats to this like having to wear a helmet, not being allowed to do jumps or spins, etc.? I pretty much never fall on my head, but of course anything is always possible, plus falling hard enough even without hitting your head can jolt your brain, as I've found out in past.

I'm just wondering if I should expect to be told it'll be weeks, or months, or that I have to wear a helmet, or what.

[Skate@Delaware]

A lot depends on what type of concussion and how severe it is and how it occurred. Mine was relatively mild (whiplash type) and symptoms didn't set in until the next day (vertigo, nausea) and was told 2 weeks and no jumping for an additional 2 weeks. But I figured meh, whatever since some of the worst falls were from crossovers (for me anyway). I'm wondering if I'd have gotten a concussion in the first place if I'd worn a mouthguard (I whacked my chin on the ice and got "shaken brain" + whiplash type of concussion).

Wait and see what your doctor says but if they aren't familiar with sports-related head trauma, take extra precaution.

And keep in mind, no matter how mild yours is...you can have long term effects from it (up to 2-3 years later). Emotional instability, forgetfulness, short-term memory loss, imbalance, etc. Might want to make note of anything like that and if they persist, see a specialist.

[samba]

Depends on what the doctor says, The doc said I was ok after 2 weeks, after getting on the ice with blade guards on, I also had a lovely black eye, poor husband got some awful looks, but I was back to jumps spins etc shortly after.

[Kat12]

I'll cross my fingers, then. I'm not sure how bad mine was. All they told me was "since you got knocked out, you must've had a concussion" or something similar, which suggests to me that either they were clueless, or I wasn't exhibiting symptoms of concussion but they had to assume I had one. CT scan was fine. They didn't give me any instructions as far as resuming activities (though of course they didn't know what my activities are so it's not like they knew to warn me off anything) and at the time I didn't think to ask. I did get knocked out, but I'm pretty sure that what knocked me out was the headrest of my car seat (yeah, I know, dumb) so it's not like I smacked my head on some thing really hard.

Spoke with the "nurse advisory line" my health insurance has and she said my doc would probably have to look at the reports the hospital sent over. They hadn't done that as of today, according to the doctor's office, so we'll see.

[sk8tmum]

You have a traumatic brain injury. They now take them very seriously, more so than in the bad old days. Basically, you have bruised your brain, and like any bruise, if you land on it again, you will cause a more severe injury.

Your balance and coordination will likely be off, which means that you are at risk for falls.

The protocol is to sit for a week. Then, challenge yourself in stages. Take a walk. If you feel fine, then have a jog. If you don't feel fine, sit for another couple of days and try the walk again. Each successive stage is done with the "challenge" system to make sure that you are not putting yourself at risk.

This may seem way overboard, however, recent studies have shown that we need to treat these injuries far more carefully. The old "if you throw up or lose consciousness you have a concussion" has been discarded by most, as you cannot determine the severity based on that measure. Severe brain injuries may occur without loss of consciousness.

We've had more than a few TBI's with our son over the years. They are not fun.

[RachelSk8er]

It REALLY depends, so see your doctor ASAP.

I was on the ice 2 days after a very minor concussion, a week after a more serious one (and I still wasn't myself for a good 2 weeks after that, I got tired very easily and had headaches off and on). One girl in my roller derby league got a concussion at practice on December 23, cracked her helmet and everything, and she's still not allowed back on skates yet, not even just to skate laps at practice.

[Skittl1321]

Google "second strike syndrome" not a lot is known about it- but a second concussion quickly after the first can kill you. It's your brain- how important is it to you?

I think people think concussions are minor little annoyances because for years sportscasters have said things like "oh, just shake out the cobwebs", or "just a concussion" - but anything that affects your brain is not just minor.

I know that adults take their skating seriously, but think about if it's really necessary to not let yourself have time to rest. There was an olympic snowboarder (Torah Bright) who they said had 3 concussions since the beginning of the year . She fell during the event, and was fine, but it made my heart jump after hearing that. (Then she won gold.) For her- the risk was obviously worth it. For me, my goals aren't quite that lofty. I'd take a few weeks, maybe even a month off.

[dbny]

Kat, your accident sounds really horrific. You were so lucky to have no more serious injuries! Has your doctor gotten back to you yet? Hope you don't have to take it easy for too long.

[Kat12]

I saw her yesterday and she gave me the all-clear, as long as I wear a helmet. Technically she wants me to wear a helmet, anyway, but I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'd have to find a new way to put my hair up (don't want this long braid whipping around during jumps and spins but obviously a bun is out) and hope that my earwarmer still fits underneath the helmet because I'm not going to get cold-ear headaches to wear the stinking helmet.

I really don't think the concussion was bad, if I had one at all. They did seem to assume I had one based solely on the fact that I passed out. Other than some confusion afterward, I've not had any symptoms of concussion. But I'll have to request my medical records and see if they said anything else in there about it.

I'm anxious to get back to skating because it's been weeks...I'm still nnot in class, of course, plus out of the last couple months, most of the weekends have been spent out of town and I haven't really been able to get to the rink (I've gone once in...however many weeks I can remember), and then this. Grrr.

[dbny]

Try a ski helmet; they have pads over the ears for warmth. Is it possible that you passed out from a sudden drop in blood pressure - basically fainted from the stress?

[sk8tmum]

Try an Ice Halo. They do work ... very popular among curlers and others who are on the ice, plus ,you can get them in sparkly colours suitable for figure skaters, funky fake fur for a fashion statement, or serious black or navy for discretion.

http://www.icehalo.com/

Canadian yes, but, it apparently does work. I've seen them in use, they look quite nice, and they have rapidly grown in popularity.

[sk8tmum]

Try a ski helmet; they have pads over the ears for warmth. Is it possible that you passed out from a sudden drop in blood pressure - basically fainted from the stress?

That can happen ... my DS did it ... that's when he figured out that a 2 hour training session and a skipped breakfast were REALLY STUPID THINGS TO COMBINE. The good thing was, because it was a faint, he was so relaxed that he didn't injure himself, he just fell flopped.

[VtSkateLvr]

Hi Kat12. As noted above, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not a joke. This is what thousands of soldiers are dealing with right now! Err on the side of caution. Lasting side effects, especially if you whack yourself again, can happen. That halo thing sounds like a good idea.

Take care and be well. You'll be back on the ice soon.

[Kat12]

I wondered too if I just plain passed out. I don't remember the first impact (though that may just be because I got knocked out), so I wonder if my brain was just like, "nah, we're checking out, I'll wake you when it's over." I find it hard to believe I got KNOCKED OUT from hitting my head on the headrest of my seat. I mean, really?