The ball dropped quickly and struck the young lady just above her eyes in the middle of her forehead. Her head and neck absorbed the force of the impact and her body shuttered as she stumbled two or three steps backward and dropped to one knee. I watched as she hesitated a few moments, tried to stand before dropping to her knee again.

Eventually, and with some effort she stood and stumbled to the sideline and said to her coach, "I'm OK, just got my bell rung a bit, give me a minute and I'll go back in the game."

I'd always thought of soccer as a genteel sport, not as violent as football, rugby or lacrosse - sports where there was a greater chance to suffer a serious injury like a concussion.

I don't know the outcome of the injury for that young lady, but the force of the blow impressed me enough to do some research. I found out that for a young athlete who participates in contact sports, there is a 19 percent chance they will suffer a concussion during the year.

Advice from an expert

Steve Scharmann, M.D. is a faculty member at the Porter Family Medicine Residency Program in Ogden, Utah, a team physician for Weber State University and he served as a Venue Medical Director for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

Dr. Scharmann said, "If you suspect your child has a concussion, the first thing you have to do is look for red flags that could signal a skull fracture, serious neck injury or a decline in neurological status. If you notice any change in behavior, vomiting, dizziness, worsening headache, double vision or excessive drowsiness, get the athlete to the nearest emergency room quickly, don't wait."

He said, "If an athlete has a concussion they should not be allowed to return to play in that game or practice. Typically 40 percent of concussions resolve in one week, 60 percent in two weeks and 80 percent will resolve in three weeks.

Six milestones an athlete should reach before returning to competition

There should be at least 24 hours between each stage, and the athlete should return to stage one if symptoms return at any time during the process. The minimum time an athlete should sit out of play or practice with a concussion is two weeks.

1. Adequate rest

Athletes should rest until there are no symptoms which means physical and mental rest. That may mean no school, homework, television or computers.

2. Light aerobic activity

Once there are no symptoms, they may participate in light aerobic exercise like stationary biking.

3. Sport specific exercises

If they tolerate light activity well, they then move onto sport specific exercise like throwing a ball.

4. No-contact drills

Move on to no-contact training drills like running, cutting, sprinting and light resistance training are next.

5. Full contact practice

After medical clearance, the athlete can return to full contact exercises.

6. Return to competition

With no further problems, the athlete can return to full competition.

Parents need to understand that a concussion is damage to the physiology of the brain. It is not damage that can be seen on a CAT scan, MRI or X-ray. If an athlete has one of those tests and it doesn't show anything, it doesn't mean the athlete should be cleared to play if they still have symptoms of a concussion.

Post-concussive syndrome

Dr. Scharmann said, "Post-concussive syndrome is the term we use for symptoms that last longer than 3 weeks. In these cases, symptoms may last months or longer and the athlete may lose a season of play or more. Proper medical management by a physician trained in the treatment of concussions is important with this syndrome.

Second Impact syndrome

One of the fears of returning to a sport too soon after a concussion is Second Impact syndrome. When an athlete suffers a second concussion before he or she is completely healed from the first one, devastating consequences may occur. Fortunately the condition is rare, but it is fatal in 50 percent of the cases and those who survive usually suffer life-long neurological disabilities.

ImPACT test

One thing Dr. Scharmann thinks parents should consider is getting baseline testing done when their children begin to participate in athletics. The test is called ImPACT Test. It's valid for kids 10 years of age or older, is done on a computer and usually takes about 30 minutes. The initial test will serve as a control to compare additional tests against after a concussion. It gives doctors information they can use to measure healing. The information it provides is objective and helps us determine when a child can return to play. The test offered throughout the country and is usually offered free of charge or for a nominal fee.

The impact of concussions is sobering and important - something every parent of a young athlete should take seriously.

Let's enjoy watching our kids and grandkids on the field of play. I'll be with you on the sidelines, and we can all work to keep them safe.

The post It’s just a concussion: When can my child go back in the game? appeared first on FamilyToday.

I walked out of the office with a pink strap holding a piece of gauze against my wounded vein. I was confident that I would get a clean bill of health when I followed up with the doctor the next day.

For years, I'd led an active lifestyle - running or cycling four or five days a week, eating sensibly and taking pride in the fact that compared to other 60-year-olds, I was in great shape.

During my visit with my doctor, he opened my lab results on his computer and scrolled up and down for a few moments while studying the list of test results. He turned in his chair and furrowed his brow, "Tres," he began, "what's happened to you? Your blood pressure is 160/98, way too high. Your HDL's are too low and your LDL's are much higher than they should be. What's going on? You are normally in great shape."

We reviewed where my numbers should be and what I needed to do to reverse where they currently were. He looked at me and said, "You've got three months to get things in order or we'll need to start you on some medication." The thought of taking pills to achieve something that had always been a by-product of a healthy lifestyle was appalling to me.

I walked out of the office stunned. High blood pressure? High cholesterol? My life had been too busy and stressful during the year: long hours in the clinic, teaching two nights a week at a nearby university and I had just finished the edits on a book that was to be published in a few months. It had all taken a toll on my health.

After thinking it over, I realized that without being aware I had let things slip. Exercise, which had been a regular part of my routine, was relegated to no more than two days a week for about an hour. My eating habits had suffered as well. What had been a conscious effort to eat proper portions of healthy food had been replaced by "grab something fast and eat it before I had something else to do."

Winter time had taken the greatest toll on my health. When it's cold outside, it's hard to ride a bike or get out and run. Living in Utah, the weather inversions we have each winter make the air unhealthy to breathe, especially when you are gulping down a lungful during exercise. Sitting on a trainer or stationary bike indoors for two or three hours at aΒ time is at best an exercise in drudgery.

So it's a new year and a new plan. I haven't been teaching night classes this year. I've been pretty good with exercise so far: three days a week for one to two hours on my bike, keeping my heart rate elevated and riding hard.

My diet is better now that I don't have to dash off to class in the evenings. I'm drinking a smoothie every day for breakfast and lunch followed by a Clif Bar, which holds me until I get home for an early dinner and a healthy snack before bed. I checked my blood pressure last week, it was 116/72, much better. I'm sure my family will be glad that I'm healthier and able to be around longer.

If you find yourself wanting to do something to improve your health, register for a walk, race or ride. It doesn't have to be long if you are just getting started, but let it be enough of a challenge to keep you motivated during the short days and cold nights of winter. And if anyone is asking, yes, I think being fit is worth the sweat.

The post Being fit: Is it worth the sweat? appeared first on FamilyToday.