Study: More kids get TBIs on playgrounds

A new study in the Pediatrics Medical Journal found that more children are getting serious head injuries on the playground. Toys like monkey bars and swings can lead to traumatic brain injuries, according

News 12 Staff

May 3, 2016, 6:45 AM

Updated 3,056 days ago

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A new study in the Pediatrics Medical Journal found that more children are getting serious head injuries on the playground.
Toys like monkey bars and swings can lead to traumatic brain injuries, according to the report.
"They can go from a very mild injury, which most people are familiar with, concussions -- all the way to more severe injuries that could be a coma," says Dr. Steven Schneider, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Cohen Children's Medical Center.
Researchers found that just over 50 percent of children between ages 5 and 9 had traumatic brain injuries from 2005 to 2013.
Schneider says that such injuries require quick medical attention or a child could be at risk for another one. Repeated injuries could lead to trouble at school.
"Trouble concentrating, trouble with their memory," Schneider says. "It can put a lot of stress on them and make them -- almost incapacitate them -- from participating in normal activities at school." 
Symptoms for traumatic brain injuries include headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, blurry vision and trouble concentrating, Schneider says.
The authors of the study say part of the reason there are more recorded brain injuries is because parents are more aware and taking their children to the emergency room after an injury more frequently.
To avoid head injuries, doctors suggest choosing playgrounds with padded or softer surfaces.