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By Mayo Clinic staffThe only known way to prevent post-concussion syndrome is to avoid the head injury in the first place. Although you can't prepare for every potential situation, here are some tips for avoiding common causes of head injuries:
- Fasten your seat belt whenever you're traveling in a car, and be sure children are in age-appropriate safety seats.
- Use helmets whenever you or your children are bicycling, roller-skating, inline skating, ice-skating, skiing, snowboarding, playing football, batting or running the bases in softball or baseball, skateboarding or horseback riding. Wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle.
- Prevent falls around the house by taking steps such as removing small scatter rugs, improving lighting and installing handrails.
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- Evans RW. Post-concussion syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 27, 2009.
- Kirsch TD, et al. Head injury. In: Tintinalli JE, et al. Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. 6th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2004. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=610258. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Ropper AH. Concussion and other head injuries. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2904523. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Ropper AH, et al. Craniocerebral trauma. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3638543. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Traumatic brain injury: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/detail_tbi.htm. Accessed July 27, 2009.
- Brown AW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 4, 2009.