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Child Fell And Cut Head With Stitches Done. Can Participate In Soccer?
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Question: My son fell while roller-blading outside and cut his head above the eyebrow that required 6 stiches to close. He also has a black eye from eyebrow and below on same area that was cut. We have been icing 10 minutes an hour for the last 24-hours and swelling has gone down a lot. My son is 12-years-old and plays goalkeeper on his soccer team. My wife forgot to ask the ER Dr. how long before he could play soccer again. He does have goalkeeper head gear that would offer protection near the area without touching it. Accident happened less than 40 hours ago. Any advice on when he can play soccer goalkeeper again?
Brief Answer:
OK to return
Detailed Answer:
Dear soccer parent,
Thanks for the query. If he had no loss of consciousness as a part of a concussion or severe head trauma, and has not had any neurologic problems in the past 24 hours, it appears reasonably safe for him to participate as goal keeper with protective gear; he should be given instructions that if he notices any change in vision, severe headache, difficulty walking, he should step out the field.
Yours truly,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
OK to return
Detailed Answer:
Dear soccer parent,
Thanks for the query. If he had no loss of consciousness as a part of a concussion or severe head trauma, and has not had any neurologic problems in the past 24 hours, it appears reasonably safe for him to participate as goal keeper with protective gear; he should be given instructions that if he notices any change in vision, severe headache, difficulty walking, he should step out the field.
Yours truly,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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