It’s March, which means it is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month. I’d like to focus specifically on sports induced brain injuries. Some tough questions need to be asked about the incidence of brain trauma (concussions) in youth, high school and college athletics.
Extensive research has been conducted on the long-term effects a blow to the head has on children and young adults. Thousands of young athletes suffer traumatic brain injuries annually, yet society chooses to sweep it under the rug with what is called avoidance behavior. Parents and coaches alike, simply hope that it won’t happen to their player or child.
Are we voluntarily putting our children at risk by allowing him (and in a few cases, her) to play football?
For now, let’s focus on football. Football has the highest concussion rate of all sports.
- High school football players are twice as likely to get concussions as college football players
- 20% of high school football players sustain brain injuries.
- There are 1.3 million high school football players and 2.8 million youth football players.
- The majority of high school and youth football games have no medical personnel on the sidelines.
- 40.5% of high school players return to the field prematurely after a brain injury.
The brains of young athletes are still developing, which makes them more prone to brain injury. Some neurosurgeons recommend kids should not play tackle football before the age of 14 or even 16 or 18.
Avoidance behavior can no longer be accepted in youth and high school athletics. For our kids sake, do we really need to be putting them in a situation where they are hitting their heads on a regular basis?. The long-term ill affects of traumatic brain injuries are well documented and alarming. Encourage your children to exercise and participate in non-contact sports such as tennis, golf, cross country running, track, and a host of others. Leave football, hockey, and lacrosse to the adult athlete who is old enough to make their own decisions and assess the risk.
If you or someone you love suffered a traumatic brain injury, you need to call me right away at 1 (800) 556-4769 to schedule a FREE consultation to discuss your injury and whether it could have been prevented. As your Medical Malpractice lawyer, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
Author: Tim Misny | For over 33 years, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving “Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus & Cincinnati, Ohio.” You can reach Tim by email at tmisny@misnylaw.com or call at 1 (800) 556-4769.