Repeated brain injuries can cause several serious, chronic symptoms - especially without treatment. We see this issue happen commonly with athletes in high-impact sports like football, hockey, or combat sports. This issue doesn't only affect professionals - it can even impact children.

Here's an overview of how repeated concussions can affect the brain - both in adults and children - and why early intervention and concussion treatment, including chiropractic care, are vital for preventing or reversing these effects.

Could you or your child have concussions without realizing it? Reach out for chiropractic concussion treatment in Anchorage today.

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How Repeated Concussions Affect the Brain

According to Cedars-Sinai, about 5 million times each year, there is a child visiting the ER for a concussion. Though that may sound common, there are many more children whose parents never realize the danger, recognize the symptoms, or seek help for concussions at all.

Unfortunately, repeated head injuries have the potential to damage the brain, causing several alarming effects. The impact varies from person to person, and children risk even more consequences than adults. Here's how concussions or blows to the head affect children and adults.

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Childhood Brain Injuries

When a child has repeated traumatic brain injuries, they may experience many symptoms right away. However, the long-term effects on their developing brains are sometimes even more devastating. Here are the symptoms you might notice in the hours and days after the concussion.

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Blurry vision
• Lack of energy
• Forgetfulness
• Trouble concentrating or paying attention
• Looks slow or foggy
• Anxiety, depression, or irritation
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Confusion or disorientation

However, the long-term effects can be severe, and some last a lifetime. A study from the University of Oxford found several common results of repeated brain injuries in children. The researchers studied children, youth, and young adults, all below the age of 25. The brain injuries ranged from mild to moderate to severe. Yet, there were effects on these children as they grew up, even if their multiple concussions were mild.

Children who had repeated concussions had the following effects during their lifetimes.

• Poor school performance - 60% more likely to perform poorly in school.
• Increased risk of mental illness - 50% more likely to get mental health treatment.
• Being disabled - 80% more likely to receive disability benefits.
• Low income - 60% more likely to receive welfare benefits.
• Premature death - 70% more likely to die young, before the age of 41.

Children are the most vulnerable to the effects of multiple concussions. After all, the brain is still developing until they reach their mid-20s. Treatment can make a dramatic difference in these effects.

One problem, though, is that parents don't always seek treatment for these kids. They may seem relatively okay, and the parent doesn't see the need for a doctor visit, much less a trip to the ER. So, awareness is important, and you need to act quickly if you see any signs of concussion. As concussion experts, we recommend you seek concussion care and chiropractic care for children immediately after a brain injury, even if it seems mild. Research shows that the single most important factor to a rapid recovery after concussion is seeing a qualified concussion health care provider as soon as possible after the injury.

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Adult Concussions

Adults can also suffer the effects of multiple brain impacts. The initial symptoms of concussion may be similar to many of the symptoms that children have. The later effects can be long-lasting. According to the CDC, people who have a history of several mild concussions will more likely experience:

• Longer recovery times
• More severe symptoms than someone who had only one mild concussion
  • Long-term problems, including
  • Lingering memory problems
  • Long-term trouble concentrating
  • Ongoing memory issues
  • Continuing headaches
  • Life-long trouble with keeping their balance

Therefore, whether you are young or old, concussions can impact your life from the time you receive the injuries and throughout your entire life. The results can change your entire life or your child's life. They can decrease the person's potential to have the life they desire and deserve.

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Why Early Intervention Is Critical

So, why is it so critical to get yourself or your child in for chiropractic care as soon as possible? The short answer is simple to understand. When you or your kid receive early interventions, you are far more likely to have a full recovery. When you recover fully, you might escape some of the short-term effects. However, more importantly, you will decrease your chances of having any of the long-term impacts mentioned above.

In a scientific review reported by the National Institutes of Health, one study revealed many benefits of early interventions that were done a week or less after childhood concussions. These benefits included:

• Less overall symptoms, including less headache, less irritability, and better judgment.
• Fewer instances of behavioral problems
• Fewer problems with sleep, social interactions, anxiety, thoughts, delinquency, aggression, or attention.

By attending to and diminishing these short-term symptoms, treatment paves the way for that full recovery you need to avoid severe long-term issues. The review included several studies, and it's worth a read if you want to know more about how early intervention helps people avoid short- and long-term problems after concussions.

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How Chiropractic Care Helps with Concussion

When you get chiropractic care after a concussion, your chiropractor acts quickly to create a treatment plan. It starts with rest for both your brain and your body up to 48 hours in most cases. After this time of rest, you are encouraged to slowly increase your mental and physical activities. A medical professional will oversee this phase of recovery to ensure you increase activity at the right pace. They'll also recognize if you are having problems along the way.

Testing is important in concussion care, and you should have several tests throughout your treatment period. Sophisticated neurological tests are available, if this type of testing is suggested by your provider, at many concussion centers, including Excellence in Health in Anchorage.

A complete early intervention plan will go on to rehabilitate your physical and mental capacities, working on balance, nutrition, vision, cognitive functioning, exercise, and other areas of functioning. When your chiropractor clears you to go back to work, school, or sports, you will go with advice on how to prevent repeated concussions in the future.

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Where to Go for Early Concussion Care in Anchorage, Alaska

Excellence in Health Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Clinic is Anchorage's premier concussion center and chiropractic clinic. The father-and-son team of Dr. William Ross and Dr. Blue Ross lead the EIH team by offering expert chiropractic care, providing solid educational resources, and helping people achieve a healthier, more satisfying life.

As members of the Complete Concussion Management, Inc. provider network, Excellence in Health has the resources and training needed to provide top-quality care for people with multiple mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions. Our advanced expertise sets us apart. We provide the best in neurological testing for concussions, along with cutting-edge rehabilitation techniques and equipment. If you or a loved one has experienced brain impacts, whether mild or severe, we encourage you to seek help at our clinic right away. Avoiding the potential devastating lifelong effects of multiple concussions is a goal worth pursuing.
One of our goals at EIH is to make concussion treatment more accessible so that fewer children and adults will suffer long-term damage from repeated brain injuries. To that end, we offer convenient online scheduling and longer office hours. As your chiropractic professional in the Anchorage area, we put your health and well-being first.

Do you need early intervention to prevent the long-term effects of concussion? Speak to our EIH team for concussion care in Anchorage now.