My son just suffered a concussion. How long will it be before he can return to sports?
My 12-year-old daughter has terrible headaches in the back of her head and numbness and tingling in her arms. Our doctor ordered an MRI and told us she has a "Chiari malformation". What is this?
My daughter has been getting a lot of headaches so our doctor finally ordered a brain scan which showed a cyst in her brain. No surgery has been recommended. Is there anything else we should do?
My son just suffered a concussion. How long will it be before he can return to sports?
 | Dr. Dennis S. Oh says: |
Concussion is a traumatic injury to the brain that is caused by blunt force. This may be brought about by car accidents, falls or sports-related injuries.
Symptoms include headaches, loss of concentration or memory, dizziness, nausea and confusion. No specific treatment is required except rest and avoidance of repeat injury until full recovery with resolution of concussive symptoms.
In mild cases, players may be allowed to return to the game after 20-30 minutes, but in more severe instances, it may take weeks for symptoms to resolve.
In general, clearance is given after symptoms disappear, usually a month after the initial injury.
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My 12-year-old daughter has terrible headaches in the back of her head and numbness and tingling in her arms. Our doctor ordered an MRI and told us she has a "Chiari malformation". What is this?
 | Dr. Sherry L. Taylor says: |
A “Chiari malformation” usually means that part of the cerebellum of the brain is pushing down through the foramen magnum - the hole at the base of the skull where the brain turns into the spinal cord. The pressure from this on the spinal cord and brain can cause a multitude of different symptoms.
This diagnosis is often overlooked as the findings on MRI are sometimes subtle. It is best to have your daughter examined by a neurosurgeon and review the MRI together. She/he can tell you if surgery - removing some bone at the base of the skull, and putting a patch down to give the brain and spine more room - would help your daughter.
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My daughter has been getting a lot of headaches so our doctor finally ordered a brain scan which showed a cyst in her brain. No surgery has been recommended. Is there anything else we should do?
| Dr. Dennis S. Oh says: |
With the increasing availability of MRIs, we have been encountering more and more brain cysts that are found incidentally. These are usually harmless tiny cysts that are regarded as non-symptomatic.
Their appearance on MRI and the patient’s symptoms are taken into consideration when assessing whether surgery is needed. If no adequate reason is found to justify performing brain surgery, your neurosurgeon will most likely request follow-up MRIs in the subsequent months and years to make sure that the cyst does not grow undetected.
In many instances, nothing more than observation is necessary.
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