Stay safe this spring break Parkland experts explain the dangers of brain injuries

DALLAS—Spring break is here, bringing sunny weather, longer days, and, unfortunately, an increase in preventable injuries. Parkland Health injury prevention experts want you to have fun and avoid the emergency room.

“Spring break is a time for relaxation and fun, but it’s crucial to remember the importance of safety. Brain Injury Awareness Month serves as a timely reminder to prioritize our health by avoiding preventable accidents and injuries,” said Courtney Edwards, DNP, MPH, RN, CCRN, CEN, TCRN, NEA-BC, director of trauma community outreach at Parkland Memorial Hospital’s Rees-Jones Trauma Center.

Every nine seconds someone in the United States sustains a brain injury, according to the Brain Injury Association of America. There’s a wide spectrum of brain injuries, ranging from mild to severe.

“There are many misconceptions about head injuries,” Edwards said. “When people think about traumatic brain injuries, they often think of athletes or those injured in combat. However, brain injuries can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any age. The symptoms and impacts are different for everyone.”

Concussions, often referred to as a “mild” brain injury, are usually not life-threatening. Even so, the effects can be serious. Concussions can happen from whiplash in a car accident or most commonly, slips and falls.

“It is an old wives’ tale that in order to have had a concussion you have to lose consciousness,” Edwards explains. “This is not true. Sometimes people start to feel the effects of brain injuries way after the event.” Common complaints include headache, dizziness, some forgetfulness, nausea, sensitivity to light or to sound, she said.

Parkland experts provide the following safety tips to help protect you and your family this spring break:

• Wear helmets and protective gear when riding bicycles, scooters or any motorized vehicle such as an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).
• Practice safe driving always. Avoid distracted driving, driving while tired or operating any motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Remind yourself and others to wear a seatbelt and ensure young children are utilizing a properly installed child’s car seat.
• Stay hydrated to avoid any heat-related illness that could result in falls or accidents.
• Limit alcohol intake to avoid dehydration and loss of motor skills when engaging in outdoor activity. Absolutely avoid alcohol or any substance if you will be driving a motorized vehicle including boats, jet skis and golf carts.

Anoxic brain injuries occur when a person loses consciousness and the brain is deprived of oxygenated blood flow for a certain amount of time. This can occur during a drowning incident. Parkland experts urge parents to practice water safety to prevent drowning by doing the following:

• Learn and teach children basic swimming and water safety skills. Formal swimming lessons reduce the risk of drowning.
• Set up fencing or gates around pools so that they are fully enclosed.
• Always supervise children when near any body of water.
• Wear life jackets at all times near water if you don’t know how to swim and while on boats, kayaks and even boogie boards.
• Swim only while a lifeguard is on duty.
• Enroll in a CPR course.

Protecting little ones from accidents is especially important as their brains are developing, Edwards emphasizes, but the same goes for young adults as well. The brain is not fully developed until around 24-years-old.

“Our brains are like bowls of Jell-O. When you whack the bowl, you don’t necessarily damage the outside of the bowl, but you can see the Jell-O has been moved around,” Edwards says, explaining that these types of traumas can impact a developing brain’s ability to grow and make connections if not healed properly.

Parkland experts advise that you seek emergency care if a head injury results in repeated vomiting or nausea, loss of consciousness lasting longer than 30 seconds, or a headache that gets worse over time. Discuss any injuries with your primary care provider so they can monitor you and start treatment if necessary.

For more information about Parkland services, visit www.parklandhealth.org.