Guillamondegui warns of “unseen trauma” as more US kids suffer head injuries at playgrounds
Playgrounds may not be completely safe for children as more are admitted to emergency departments (EDs) for non-fatal traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Play is an essential activity for growing children, and playgrounds provide the perfect place to increase learning, social skills, exploration, imagination, and attentiveness.
However, "most people are still not attuned to the fact that something major could have occurred, they shake it off and don't go to ER . . . those are the unseen trauma," said Oscar Guillamondegui, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Vanderbilt Multidisciplinary Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic.