Concussions are serious, and many children live with them each year. If you suspect your child has a head injury, you might wonder if they have a concussion. Concussions may require urgent care treatment or a trip to the emergency room, but it can be difficult to determine what kind of issues your child is dealing with.

Do you want to know what to do if your child might have a concussion? Here's what you need to know before your visit to urgent care.

How Do Children Get Concussions?

Children can get concussions in a variety of situations. Often, a concussion can stem from a fall or sports injury. Concussions can be serious in their ability to disrupt your child's routine and cognition. This is why you should see a medical professional after any sort of head injury, including an auto accident or a hit with a ball while playing. Any blow to the head should be treated as a potential concussion.

How Can You Tell if Your Child Has a Concussion?

There are some signs you can use to determine if your child has a concussion. For instance, you may notice that your child is dizzy, sensitive to lights, or nauseous. You may also notice that your child is sluggish or exhibits memory issues. You may not even notice a head injury has occurred, but you might be able to tell that your child has an altered sleep pattern or is extremely emotional.

You should pay attention to your child's symptoms after any head injury. If they are unconscious or vomiting, you need to seek emergency care. You should also pay attention to potential signs of a seizure that could indicate a more serious type of concussion.

Why Is It Important to Bring Your Child to Urgent Care?

It is important to visit urgent care with your child after a potential concussion if you are certain that you do not have an emergency on your hands. If your child is exhibiting symptoms that appear life-threatening, you should bring your child to the emergency room instead of urgent care. You can also call urgent care ahead of time to ensure it is the best place to go.

Urgent care can provide an assessment to check out your child's health. Your urgent care doctor can determine if your child needs additional care or if you don't need to worry about your child's long-term health.

Contact an urgent care clinic near you for more information.