Concussions: Not Just A Problem at the Professional Level

Anyone who is a fan of professional sports knows that head injuries and concussions have become a major problem over the last decade, especially in the NFL, NHL and to a lesser extent MLB. The players are bigger, faster and stronger nowadays. The collisions between these athletes, although high in entertainment value, are becoming very dangerous. New helmets have been designed in both hockey and football to minimize the impact to the brain from these collisions in order to cut down on the number of concussions. New concussion protocols have been enacted in all the major sports as well. Players are put through extensive testing before the season starts to measure their "baseline" levels, so if a concussion is suspected they can be re-tested to see how bad the damage is. Long gone are the days when a player is allowed to go back out onto the field immediately following a concussion. In some cases, a player may miss weeks or months before their brain "returns to normal" and they are allowed to compete again.

Head injuries are no longer just a problem at the professional ranks anymore. According to data obtained from the National Athletic Trainers Association Summit, there were 400,000 concussions in high school football last season! There were 29,000 concussions diagnosed in soccer players, where there were 40% more concussions among the female soccer players. There were also 13,000 concussions in womens basketball last year. It was estimated that 8,000 children are treated, per day , at emergency rooms for sports related injuries, and 62% of those injuries occurred at practice.

Those numbers are staggering, but the next stat is what really bothered me. From January 2008 through November of 2009, 120 young athletes died due to sports related causes in 31 different states! Why does this happen?

Most often these injuries occur when there is a lack of of trained personal to evaluate and treat these young athletes when they are injured on the field. Many times the athletes are told to "play through the pain" and proper attention is not given to what can be a serious condition.

Different steps need to be taken in order to prevent these injuries from happening, as well as being able to identify these injuries early enough, if they do occur. Parents, coaches and athletes need to be trained in the proper way that equipment should be worn (especially helmet use) and also need to be trained in what symptoms athletes exhibit when they have injured their head or been concussed. Having a local chiropractor, medical doctor or physical therapist at practices and games can go a long way. These individuals are trained in their fields and would add a level of expertise to helping diagnose injuries, brain and physical, on the field when they occurred. If an athlete suffers a head injury, there must be a plan in place to prevent that athlete from making the injury worse and that starts with concussion awareness.