Sports concussion in the child and adolescent athlete.

Sports concussions are common among children and adolescents, and recent evidence suggests that concussions are more serious injuries than previously thought. Young athletes appear to recover from concussion more slowly than older athletes. Recovery is prolonged if these athletes return to play or school prematurely, and reinjury increases their risk of more serious sequelae. These newer data on concussions have raised our appreciation of this injury and have informed the development of more conservative treatment guidelines for the child and adolescent athlete. The purpose of this JAMS article is to review the new evidence and the most recent management guidelines regarding sports concussion in the young athlete.