When to worry about falls. (includes related article on injuries from a fall)

Scarcely a day goes by in a pediatrician's office when there isn't a panicked call from a parent about a child's fall. It could be about one-year-old taking his first step and falling on his forehead. It could be about a two-year-old who fell off a couch. Or it might be a four-year-old who fell off the kitchen counter while trying to steal some treat from the cookie jar. Whatever the circumstances, they all involve a screaming child with a big bomp on the head and a frantic parent worrying about a concussion--a term often not well understood, but always a source of tremendous anxiety.

While answering these calls, the pediatrician will try to be reassuring. After all, …