“In a concussion the brain bounces against the skull, interrupting normal brain signals,” says Dr. Tom Abramo, an emergency medicine specialist on the medical staff at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. “If concussions aren’t given time to heal properly, they can cause serious problems years later.”

Younger athletes take longer to recover than older athletes, says the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). Damage to a young athlete’s developing brain “can be catastrophic,” according to the NATA, which urges its members to take young athletes’ concussions seriously. Suffering a second concussion while still having symptoms from the first one can be fatal.

Protective equipment, like helmets, can limit the risk. So can proper training. Football coaches, for instance, should tell players not to tackle or block with their heads or run head-down with the ball.

“Because the brain needs time to heal, rest is the only treatment for a concussion,” says Dr. Abramo. “A doctor or trainer should evaluate the athlete immediately after the injury. Boys or girls with any signs of concussion, such as headache or dizziness, shouldn’t return to the game.”

“No athlete should play again until all the symptoms have been gone for a few days,” says Dr. Abramo. A recent study by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center showed high school athletes weren’t fully recovered seven days after suffering concussions. If there’s memory loss or loss of consciousness, the player may not be able to return for a month. And if this wasn’t the first concussion, return to play may take longer.

Someone with a concussion will have some but not all of these symptoms:

• Vacant or befuddled expression
• Slow response to simple questions
• Slow response if asked to move an arm or leg
• Confused and easily distracted
• Disoriented – unaware of the time, date and place
• Slurred, disjointed or incoherent speech
• Uncoordinated, stumbling, unable to walk a straight line
• Memory problems, repeatedly asking a question that has been answered
• Loss of consciousness (not present in most cases)