According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of playground injuries are on the rise. We most often hear about concussions on the football field, but it’s also happening on the playgrounds at school or at the park. With school starting up, it’s important to keep safety top of mind when children are playing on playground equipment.

The amount of injuries that occur at school or at the park have increased, according to the CDC. (Photo by SmartSign.com)

There’s always a possibility of injury when kids get over excited and may do things that are more dangerous.

Of the 215,000 kids who were treated in emergency rooms for playground injuries every year, ten percent of them were brain injuries. Most of those brain injuries were concussions.

Also if a brain injury is not diagnosed and treated properly, it can cause lasting brain damage or disability. Parents are urged to look for warning signs such as confusion, dizziness, headaches, and even nausea.

It’s important to make sure that the playground your kids is playing on has a cushioned surface such as rubber mulch or a rubber cushion to protect them from injuries. It’s also important to look at the spacing of the different equipment. If your child loses balance on one piece of equipment, you want to make sure they won’t hit their head on another piece of equipment.

In addition, make sure that the equipment is age appropriate for your child.

The most common places for injuries to occur on monkey bars and swing sets, so take extra caution when your child is using these pieces of equipment.

Parental supervision is also necessary on playground equipment.

If treated, a kid can usually recover from a concussion within a week or two without long-term consequences. The treatment might require taking a break from activity that can make the injury worse.

A concussion happens when the soft brain tissue hits the hard skull, which can cause blood vessels to be torn and nerves in the brain to be injured. If you believe your child has a concussion, stop the child from playing more and take him or her to see a doctor.

Gordon Johnson

Attorney Gordon Johnson is one of the nations leading brain injury advocates. He is Past-Chair of the TBILG, a national group of more than 150 brain injury advocates. He has spoken at numerous brain injury seminars and is the author of some of the most read brain injury web pages on the internet.

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