Team of Experts

Because of the risk to youth and high school athletes of suffering a second potentially fatal brain injury before the brain has healed from the initial injury - a condition called second impact syndrome - Dr. Cantu advises against allowing such athletes to return to play in the same game or practice after experiencing post-concussion signs or symptoms.

Second-impact syndrome occurs when a high school athlete who sustains a head injury - often a concussion or worse injury, such as a cerebral contusion (bruised brain) - sustains a second head injury before symptoms associated with the first injury have cleared. The condition, while rare, causes a sharp increase in intracranial pressure that is almost always fatal, says Dr. Robert Cantu.

If an athlete has been sidelined by a concussion for several weeks or longer, Dr. Robert Cantu recommends that he follow a "stepwise" approach to return to play.

Duration, number and degree of post-concussion signs and symptoms determine concussion severity, says Dr. Robert Cantu.

The findings in a recent study in the Journal of Athletic Training that female athletes are more prone to concussions than male athletes and take longer to recover are hard to explain, says Dr. Robert Cantu, but may due to several factors.

While concussions share certain characteristics, every concussion is unique to that particular individual, says Dr. Robert Cantu, and requires individualized management.

Dr. Robert Cantu says it is extremely important that parents and athletes recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion.  Not only do athletes need to self-report symptoms, says Dr. Cantu, but they should let the coaching and medical staff know if a teammate is experiencing symptoms.  It just might save his life.

The findings in a recent study in the Journal of Athletic Training that female athletes are more prone to concussions than male athletes and take longer to recover are hard to explain, says Dr. Robert Cantu, but may due to several factors.

Only where an athlete continues to experience post-concussion signs or symptoms for more than a week is consultation with a concussion specialist recommended, says Dr. Robert Cantu.