List of Sports & Epilepsy

[joan]

This is the list I received from our Dr. It's just FYI

1. Children who experience episodes of loss of consciousness require careful supervision at all times: however, the following acivities should be permitted with out restrictions.

Aeorbics, archery, badminton, ballet, baseball, baketball, bowling, broad jump, cricket, croquet, curling, dancing, dog sledding, discs throwing, fencing, field hockey, high jumping,fishing, gymnastics, golf, hiking,jogging,lacrosse, orienteering, shot-putting, cross country skiing, socceer, table tennis, volleyball, weight lifting, werestling

2. The following sports may be permitted but require reasonable precautions to protect athletes from potential injury in the event of loss of consciousness. Parents should give written consent for the activity.

Biking, bob sledding, canoeing, diving, football, horseback riding, hockey, hunting, Ice skating, Kayaking, mountain climbing, pole vaulting, roller bladding, rugby, sailing, skating, skiing (downhill), sledding, snowmobile, swimming, tennis, water polo

3. The following should be prohibited for all patients who experience loss of consciousness:

Boxing, bungee jumping, hang gliding, jousting, polo, rock climbing, rope climbing, skate boarding, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing

[Belinda5000]

My mother made me take ballet as kid and I hated it.
I wanted to take gymnastics so bad.

I'm an avid swimmer and I've always been one and I was taught to swim when I was little and Everyone I was having seizures.
Everyone should have someone with them when thy swim.

I guess thisdoc wouldn't have wanted me to do anything as a child.
I was very active.



Belinda

[brain]

This is the list I received from our Dr. It's just FYI

3. The following should be prohibited for all patients who experience loss of consciousness:

Boxing, bungee jumping, hang gliding, jousting, polo, rock climbing, rope climbing, skate boarding, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing

Also including:

Parachuting, Extreme Sports (where risk factor is high - bodily
and head trauma), Motorcycling (all types), Kick-Boxing & other
Martial Arts, Wind-Boarding (aka Sail Boarding), Hunting with
weapons (with the exceptions of those specialized season of
"disabled handicap & trained guide specialist(s) week or
weekends"), Go Karting / Carting - or other small engine mini-
cars, Tree Climbing

(there was more that my Neurologist had given me but
I pretty much had forgotten what all - *sigh*)

[BuckeyeFan]

I would move archery out of line one to line 2. I used a bow quite often as a kid prior to E. An arrow is still a weapon and should be supervised if there is a possibility of LOC.

I would consider moving snorkeling up from 3 to 2. In my opinion, it is no different than swimming. Either requires extra caution. Sidenote: the few times I have snorkled were really cool experiences.

[Birdbomb]

Must be nice to have a doctor caring enough to at least give you some kind of information. Not that I am any kind of athletic person, but some precautions are really necessary. All my doctors ever told me was to "take it easy" and to never be left alone.

[Crazy Monkey]

This is the first time I have ever seen a do's and don'ts list regarding seizures.

I have always been guided by my own common sense as my doctors/neuros have never advised me against any activities.

Thanks for posting this as I have often wondered.

[PurpleAngel]

I too had never seen a list, and just used common sense when it came to what K should or should not do. She isn't very comfortable in groups so the sport thing has never been an issue.

My biggest fight was/is getting the school to accept that it is NOT okay to let her climb the climbing wall, or do the rope climb. (ma'am it is ONLY 25 feet...) I asked the Dr. to fill out a form that lists all of the activites that are presented in elementary gym, as to which she could particiapte in and which she shouldn't. In the comments section the Dr. highlighted and wrote "Please use your common sense."

[walsh]

What about javelin?

[joan]

Common sense isnt always so common. Id not let my daughter do rope climbing either unless they were using safety harnesses which I doubt. I have been surprised how uninformed and insensitive schools can be.

Im already working with the Epilepsy Foundation to have a few E programs in place for this coming E Awareness month in November in my daughters school : ) My High School thought they were off the hook since they do not usually do assembly programs : ) TADA we will be doing E awareness in their health classes during E awareness month : ) Boy oh boy.... were they surprised how prepared we were lol

I urge you all to get your schools educated. I also think it will aide in building empathy for our children and other kids with issues they didnt ask for but yet have to learn to deal with*

joan*

[BuckeyeFan]

What about javelin?

Only javelin catcher!

I actually had a junior high coach that suggested I be the javelin catcher as I was not much of a track athlete. That was pre-E.

[vtsammy]

I have always been into sports. Now it's scary because one sec I'll be on the football field or basketball court...and then the next second I'll be on the sideline. It's like in a flash I went from the field to the sideline w/out even knowing when or how I got there. However, I still do those things, and I snowboard as well. However, the one thing I will NEVER do is swimming. A friend of mine had her father drown while he was swimming because he had a seizure.

[Crazy Monkey]

. However, the one thing I will NEVER do is swimming. A friend of mine had her father drown while he was swimming because he had a seizure.

I actually know of someone that had a seizure whilst swimming recently. He is a qualified lifeguard for a swimming club, he does not have a history of seizures, my friends son found him practically drowning under the water and hauled him out of the pool, his lungs were full of water, first aid was applied and they managed to get him breathing again. He was in intensive care for a couple of days and they were worried that he might have sustained brain damage, but luckily when he regained consciousness he was ok.

But unfortunately his career as a lifeguard is over due to him now being a liability to the swimming club and also personal fear.

[andy]

I boxed as an amateur from being 18 to 29 , when i think about it now i cant beleive how stupid i was .

[stilldancing_98]

How about leage bowling. I think that is a great idea.

[Literophile]

You mean I can't joust anymore??!! That SUCKS!

Lol, jk. Wow, I would have thought a lot of the sports that are okay without restriction would be dangerous--specifically gymnastics and soccer.

[matchu]

I worked for an engineering company and there was an architectural/engineering bowling league. I was an alternate, and when I bowl the ball always sticks to my hand because of large knuckles, and I cross the foul line and slip and slide and think I have got my balance stand up straight and then fall right on my back and hit my head. The entire bowling alley seemed to stop and watch. Co workers knew about my seizures and were concerned and the bowling alley made me sign all these forms. The next week I was not allowed to bowl.

disc golf is a great sport for epileptics to play!!

[Nakamova]

Matchu, you should come out here to New England where we have candlepin bowling. The ball is small enough to grip with the palm. You can really wing it too -- very satisfying if you need to get some anger out.

[Literophile]

*le gasp!* I used to play that when I was a revolutionary/civil war reenactor, but we called it tabletop ninepins!

I was usually assigned to the games table when we did reenactments where we set up tent because I'm really engaging, and when I would ask if they would care for a game of ninepins, a lot of smart alecks would reply with "What, did you lose the tenth pin?"

[SeizetheNight]

Growing up in Rhode Island, we had duckpin bowling. I had never heard of candlepin bowling before.

[BuckeyeFan]

Sports are a great way to burn off the emotions caused by some epilepsy meds - keppra