Concussions in high school football

[CP87]

Grantland.com has a great piece up on the risks associated with concussions and the implications on high school football.

I played football through high school and then at a small college, and I think it is the greatest game in the world. But this brain stuff is scary. With the data that is mounting on the long-term negative effects of repeated head trauma, it is getting difficult to watch football the same way.

With the pros we can always say, "They know the risks, they can play if they want." But high school kids aren't mature enough to make a reasonable risk assessment, and they seem to be the ones with the least to gain and the most to lose.

Take home message: if your kids or kids you coach suffer anything even resembling a concussion, take extreme care in their return to activity.

 

[SPGroth]

My wife works with a local high school. This year, the school agreed to purchase the IMPact software. Before the start of the season, any athlete that is involved with a contact sport undergoes an initial IMPact test. This sets their baseline. Players are watched for signs of concussions in practices and games. If a player shows signs of a concussion, they are sat out. The athlete can not try to return until they are symptom free for a period of time. When they are symptoms free, they are required to re-take the IMPact test before they are allowed back to participate in the sport. The athlete must achieve an IMPact score that is very close to their baseline test. The athlete can not return until they achieve this level.

The IMPact testing has had give guidance to determine when an athlete can return. I would hope that more schools begin to use this technology to protect these athletes.

 

[SPGroth]

Other technology that is out there for football are chin straps or mouthpieces that are equipped with devices that will signal if a player has a severe impact that could cause a concussion. The equipment has a light that is green. If the player is hit hard enough, the light will turn from green to red. At that point, the player is to be taken out fo the game. I know that Stanford trialed the mouthpiece version of this equipment.

 

[ajk4st8]

As someone who evaluates concussions for HS athletes frequently, the biggest problem is usually in 'return to sport'.

Too many kids are returning to sports after a preset amount of time vs gradually coming back into sports AFTER ALL symptoms are resolved.

Mouth guards in football are critical. Changing them throughout the season is vital. Using the same thinned out and chewed up mouth guard is rather ineffective.

Research shows little difference in TYPES of guards if they are in good shape.

 

[Bohawk]

My wife works with a local high school. This year, the school agreed to purchase the IMPact software. Before the start of the season, any athlete that is involved with a contact sport undergoes an initial IMPact test. This sets their baseline. Players are watched for signs of concussions in practices and games. If a player shows signs of a concussion, they are sat out. The athlete can not try to return until they are symptom free for a period of time. When they are symptoms free, they are required to re-take the IMPact test before they are allowed back to participate in the sport. The athlete must achieve an IMPact score that is very close to their baseline test. The athlete can not return until they achieve this level.

The IMPact testing has had give guidance to determine when an athlete can return. I would hope that more schools begin to use this technology to protect these athletes.

Our high school has the same thing with Impact Testing. Unfortunately, my son lost a close friend from a concussion during a game last year and it has set the school on high alert.

The family of Nathan Stiles has been instrumental in raising awareness of football related head injuries. They were featured on ESPN and will have something on CNN in the coming weeks. In addition, they have continued Nathan's legacy through The Nathan Project which drives youth Bible studies and gets Bibles to kids all over the world. Really neat family.

www.nathanproject.com

 

[sthoma14]

I also am in the sports medicine field and have implemented the Impact Testing with a few smaller eastern Iowa Schools. It has helped my job immensely and would recommend anyone to push your local schools to implement this as well.
For all of those that are interested in seeing another scary scenario regarding concussions and what can happen, check out the ESPN E60 production of Preston Plevretes. The video is like 12 minutes long, but if you are associated with athletics of any kind, it really opens your eyes as to the consequences of not taking head/brain injuries seriously.

E:60 Second Impact - ESPN Video - ESPN

 

[SPGroth]

Our high school has the same thing with Impact Testing. Unfortunately, my son lost a close friend from a concussion during a game last year and it has set the school on high alert.

The family of Nathan Stiles has been instrumental in raising awareness of football related head injuries. They were featured on ESPN and will have something on CNN in the coming weeks. In addition, they have continued Nathan's legacy through The Nathan Project which drives youth Bible studies and gets Bibles to kids all over the world. Really neat family.

www.nathanproject.com

Bohawk--Sympathies out to the family. It had to be horrible to lose a son in that manner. I have seen the ESPN story on Nathan. Unfortunately, some times it takes a tragedy like that to wake up people to take care of a problem.