Making Sense of Head Injuries in Young Athletes

Nurse practitioners are at the forefront of efforts to increase health within our communities and thus play a vital role in the prevention of head injuries among children and adolescents engaging in sports. In recent times, the media have increased public awareness regarding the long-term effects of concussive injuries in professional athletes in sports such as football and hockey, which are traditionally classified as contact sports. The purpose of this article is to highlight the risk of concussion among children and adolescents engaging in traditionally high contact sports and sports that are less often considered in the context of concussion.