New Guidelines for Head Injury and Concussion in Youth Sports

on Jun 09 in Sports tagged by mindmaps

An international panel of neurologists changed their recommendations regarding concussion care for young athletes. The new recommendations, published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, say any athlete, 18 and under, who may have sustained a concussion during sports should not be allowed to return to activity the same day. The group’s previous recommendation allowed the athlete to return to activity if cleared by a doctor or certified athletic trainer. The neurologists now believe it’s too difficult to make an immediate determination of the seriousness of head injuries which makes it too dangerous for continued play to be considered safe.

This change is stirring up debate among other experts. While many believe this will help prevent serious, life-threatening injuries in youth sports, some believe the new guideline will result in more kids hiding their head injury for fear of being pulls from the game.

How Common Are Head Injuries in High School Sports?

According to the Center for Injury Research and Policy, in the 2007-8 school year, high school athletes reported an estimated 137,000 concussions. The researchers believe far more occurred and where either not recognized or not reported. The majority of reported conclusions occurred in these sports:

1. Football - 70,000
2. Girls soccer - 24,000
3. Boys soccer - 17,000
4. Girls basketball - 7,000

Research shows that even mild concussions and other head injuries can have serious long-term effects. One of the most serious results of a head injury is an epidural hematoma (bleeding between the skull and the brain). This type of injury most commonly occurs when an impact to the head results in a laceration of a blood vessel in the head that forms a blood clot between the skull and the brain’s protective covering, called the dura. This clot slowly grows and puts pressure on the brain that, if not treated promptly, can result in death.

All experts agree that wear safely equipment, such as a helmet and mouth guard, can reduce the risk of serious head injuries.

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