Our son suffered a concussion playing high school football last weekend. He’s been told he can’t play for the next week. We are supposed to report anything unusual. What should we expect to see in this next week to 10 days?

Brain injuries are one of the most common sports injuries, especially among football players. Every year 300,000 brain injuries occur in high school athletes alone.

Concussions make up the bulk of these injuries. A concussion is a mild traumatic injury to the brain. It can be caused by acceleration (speeding up) or deceleration (slowing down) forces. This is more likely during a car accident or bad fall. In sports, concussions occur more often by a direct blow or hit by another player.

When to return a player to the field is a difficult decision. Waiting a week to 10 days after a concussion is very good advice. Most players do recover fully during this time. However, there is a possibility of more long-term problems developing.

Postconcussive syndrome can occur if a player returns to the game too soon after the injury. An undiagnosed fractured skull or hematoma (internal bleeding) can cause further brain injury. Watch for any of the following signs and symptoms: