The emergency department at Children’s Hospital has seen a whopping increase in the number of children and young people coming through the doors with concussion symptoms.

A department review found a 69 per cent increase in the last five years, with 488 youth receiving treatment in 2011.

From 2006 to 2011, there were 2,112 people treated in the children’s emergency department.

 "Concussions are of particular concern for children and teenagers because their brains are still developing and may be more susceptible to the effects of a concussion", says Douglas Fraser, a physician in the hospital’s pediatric critical care unit. He is also the lead researcher of the Western Pediatric Concussion Study Group.

"We are undertaking several concussion studies because it is only through a complete understanding of concussion occurrence, its causes and who is at risk, that targeted interventions to prevent concussion can be implemented,” he said.

Two-thirds of the concussions occurred in males and the median age was 13 years.  Nearly half of pediatric concussions were sports and recreation-related and hockey is the sport the majority are playing when injured.

It is important to know when it is appropriate to introduce activities back into your life", says Fraser. "There are return to play and even return to school guidelines in which the concussed individual gradually re-introduces activity into their routine, with each step taking a minimum of one day. If symptoms return, return to rest until they resolve before trying any activity again."

A hospital spokesperson says the large jump in the number of youth seeking treatment is due to more awareness about concussions and also an increase in children playing contact sports.

Although Fraser says there have been improvements in awareness and sports safety standards, there are still areas of concern, such as what he describes as concussion hot spots, particularly in certain rural areas.

"There could be things in the environment, for instance, the arenas have softer ice. Maybe there's something about the boards and the glass and the way they're connected."

He says a key area for future research is improving the diagnosis of a concussion.

Signs and symptoms of a concussion can include: headache, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light or noise, as well as difficulty concentrating and remembering.