All Children’s Hospital Los Angeles locations are open.
Wildfire Support Line for Current Patients, Families and Team Members:
323-361-1121 (no texts)
8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sports Concussion Clinic
Millions of young athletes suffer concussions every year while playing sports or participating in activities. Concussions disrupt the way the brain functions. This head injury requires specialized care. Experts at our Sports Concussion Clinic help young athletes recover from concussions and safely return to play.
What Is a Concussion?
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that occurs when something bumps, jolts or hits a person’s head. This impact causes the brain to move around inside the skull, interfering with how brain cells work together. People with head injuries may not think clearly, have difficulty concentrating and sleep too much or not enough. These problems often resolve in a few weeks with the right care.
Sports Concussion Clinic: Why Choose Us
A concussion — even a mild one — is still an injury to the brain. Our Sports Concussion Clinic is part of the nationally ranked Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center. We help children, teens and young adult athletes recover from concussions and lower the risk of future head injuries. Your child benefits from:
- Comprehensive concussion care: Our dedicated concussion team addresses all of a young athlete’s medical needs. We bring together board-certified experts in sports medicine, orthopedics, neurology, neuropsychology and physical therapy.
- Safe return to activities: We know young athletes are anxious to get back to doing what they love. We work closely with parents, teachers, coaches and athletic trainers to ensure a safe return to learning, sports and social activities.
- Help for all sports injuries: If your child experiences another injury at the time of the concussion (or gets hurt at a later time), our Sports Medicine Program provides care for all types of sports injuries.
- Convenience: We offer same-day and next-day appointments to quickly diagnose a concussion and start effective therapy.
Concussion Treatment
Physical therapy can be an important treatment for concussions. Our physical therapists specialize in helping young athletes heal from concussions and other sports-related injuries. We help with:
- Balance and vertigo problems: Some children with concussions experience balance problems or vertigo (dizziness). Our physical therapists are trained in treatments to ease these problems. We teach your child exercises to do at home.
- Headaches and body pain: Your child may have headaches from the brain injury or neck and shoulder pain from taking a hit to the body. Stretching and strengthening exercises, as well as eye exercises, can help.
- Restoring strength and endurance: When the time is right, we help your child regain muscle strength and stamina lost during concussion recovery. We help your child safely get back to sports and school without making concussion symptoms worse.
Support for Injured Athletes
Having a head injury — or being sidelined by one — can greatly affect a young athlete’s emotional well-being. Your child may be irritable, frustrated or depressed. If your child needs to talk to a mental health professional, our psychologists and social workers can help.