SEATTLE — Fall and winter are prime sports seasons with football, soccer, skiing/snowboarding and more. With these popular sports, though, comes the risk of injuries.
“We hope that nothing bad ever happens, but if it does, we want people to know when to seek care and what timeframe to seek that care,” said Dr. Sarah Gartner of EvergreenHealth Emergency Department in Kirkland.
Head and neck injuries, especially concussions, are common with high-impact sports. Concussion symptoms can range from mild to severe. Most mild concussions come with headaches, nausea and light sensitivity. If an athlete experiences severe headaches, a loss of consciousness, confusion, bouts of vomiting or difficulty walking, it’s important to seek emergency care.
When a neck injury occurs, an athlete should go to an emergency room immediately if there is significant pain in the middle of the neck, any numbness, tingling or arm weakness or inability to talk or swallow.
“Say you’re watching a sport happen, and you have an athlete fall,” Dr. Gartner said. “If you have no medical personnel, make sure family or coaches are putting that athlete flat and calling 911.”
The EMS team can then stabilize the spine and make sure everything is safe for transfer to the emergency department.
Broken bones can also be common for athletes competing in fall and winter sports.
“I would say my general rule of thumb when it comes to broken bones is if there’s an obvious deformity, meaning that bone looks broken, the bone is sticking out of the skin, come and see us,” Dr. Gartner said.
Other signs to head to the emergency room include significant bleeding and the inability to use the arm or bear weight on a leg.
Emergency rooms are often busy, and emotions can run high when dealing with injuries. Dr. Gartner says it’s important to focus on the basics when communicating with providers.
“You are really concerned about your patient, your family member, your brother who’s there, and advocate those concerns,” she said. “That’s what your doctor wants to hear because that way, we can hopefully alleviate some of those concerns.”
EvergreenHealth offers 24/7 emergency care in three convenient locations – Kirkland, Redmond and Monroe. To learn more about their services, visit the EvergreenHealth website.
Sponsored by EvergreenHealth
Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.