Since 1997, more than 50 teens have been killed after sustaining head injury in sport (see graphic from NY Times). Concussions, 'the silent sports injury,' are a stark reality in high school sports. A recent series of studies out of Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital revealed that girls are more than twice as likely to sustain concussions in sport than boys (see NY Times article). Although football still causes the highest rate of concussions (with 47 per 100,000 incidents of participation), girls soccer is next in line (with 36 per 100,000).
Interesting stuff, I know. So should we ban kids from playing sports, you may be asking yourself? Of course not. Dr. Dawn Comstock, a co-author of the study, points out that the benefits of participating in sport far outweigh the dangers. But, we should be aware of the risks of playing sport. (Believe it or not, this research out of Ohio State is the first sustained epidemiological study on high school sports injury. It will allow the general public to learn about injury patterns in sport and most importantly prevention techniques).
These particular findings do raise several questions: why are girls more likely to sustain concussions than boys? And, why are they held out of competition for longer than boys? Researchers noted that several factors may be at play here: 1. perhaps there are physiological differences 2. perhaps it's because girls were less protective head gear in sports 3. perhaps girls are more likely to report concussions or 4. perhaps coaches, parents, trainers, etc., are more likely to listen when a girl reports symptoms of a concussion.
According to CDC guidelines, an athlete diagnosed with a concussion should sit out at least a week before resuming play. According to the study, boys sit out approximately three days while girls sit out for a week or more. Why aren't boys held out for the appropriate amount of time? I dare say culture might be a factor here. Whatever the reason, it's a problem to stick an athlete back in competition before he or she is ready.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
People definitely don't take concussions as seriously as they should. The more concussions you accumulate,the higher your risk for serious complications. After my sister suffered a concussion from a fall while snowboarding last winter I started wearing a helmet when I went snowboarding. As a side note: for anyone who enjoys the sport, helmets can usually be rented cheaply at ski resorts.
My son is playing football this Fall and everytime I go to a game it seems like a boy is injured. He lays there for a little while, and limps or eases off the field. Concussions are serious things and coaches need strict accountability from the Georgia High School Association to sit these boys out for 7 days, or whatever the AMA recommends. It is the prudent thing to do.
Post a Comment