Taking Concussions Head-On: Part I

Recognizing the Breadth of the Problem and the Search for Answers The release of the movie Concussion brings an even greater focus to an issue that has been debated more and more heatedly in recent years. Head injuries are devastating and their prevention is a goal not just in professional sports, but for athletes at all levels. Year after year, the NFL has reported pre-season and regular season concussions (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, or MTBI) totaling over 200 players. This is a high profile situation that has placed a spotlight on the problem. More importantly, each year approximately 250,000 student-athletes aged 19 or younger will also be concussed while on the field of play, with higher concussion rates among high school than college students. Additionally, over the past decade ER admission rates for head-related injuries increased by 90 percent, as reported by CBS News. However, these figures do not tell the whole story, as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 69 percent percent of student athletes with a possible concussion played with concussion symptoms, and that 40 percent of those athletes said their coaches were not aware they had a possible concussion. Overall, an estimated 1.6-3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year. Devastating Long Term Effects of Concussions Concussions are nothing new, but in recent years, our understanding about the detrimental -- and quite often destructive -- conseq...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news