Mon, 12/22/2014 - 1:02pm
by Joe Frollo, USA Football
Everyone who has played
competitive sports knows that younger bodies tend to bounce back quicker from
injuries. With the brain, however,
the opposite appears more often to be true.
Dr. Andrew Gregory, a
physician in the sports medicine division of the Department of Orthopedics at
Vanderbilt University and a member of USA Football’s Medical Advisory Committee, recently completed
a systematic review of studies on the
topic. He and his colleagues found that the younger a person is, the longer it
takes to recover from concussion.
It is important to
remember, Gregory said, that while this may sound alarming on the surface, the
difference is minimal. Cases show it generally takes adolescents and children
one to two days more recover from concussion.
What isn’t minuscule is
the discrepancy of attention that concussion receives when it comes to
awareness and media coverage.
“The bigger issue is
that most of our attention is focused on college and NFL players when we should
also be looking at how we take care of children and teens who suffer a
concussion,” Gregory said.
All 50 states and
Washington, D.C., have passed laws mandating concussion protocols at the high
school level. Not all laws are the same, however.
About half require
coaches to complete concussion management training at least every other year.
Roughly 25 percent of
states extend the law beyond public schools and into private schools and youth
athletic leagues. About a dozen states
offer immunity to adults who exhibit good-faith efforts in concussion
treatment.
Add to these factors
that while doctors and certified athletic trainers are mandatory on NFL and
NCAA sidelines, only have of U.S. high schools have trainers attend practices
and games while no data is available for medical personnel in attendance at the
youth level.
“Compare that to the way
the NFL and NCAA are addressing concussions,” Gregory said. “We have the
strictest measures for the smallest segments of a single sport. We need similar
guidelines for the millions of children and teens who play sports in their
local communities.”
USA Football’s Heads Up
Football program is providing that guidance for the more than
5,500 youth organizations and 750 high schools that signed up for the program
in 2014, bringing important health and safety education - including concussion
recognition and response – to coaches, parents and players.
Gregory said more
research is needed on this topic, especially at the younger levels. The Datalys
Center concluded a two-year study earlier this year that examined all
injuries at the youth football level. USA Football commissioned the
study.
“USA Football is
providing much-needed information, and the fact is we need more,” Gregory said.
“When it comes to concussions, their effect and recovery times, we have good
data for high school, college and pro. What we need more of is at the youth
level.
“And we need these
studies done for all sports, not just football. USA Football is providing a
model for other sports to copy.”
Reposted from: USA Football
Mon, 12/22/2014 - 1:02pm
by Joe Frollo, USA Football
Everyone who has played
competitive sports knows that younger bodies tend to bounce back quicker from
injuries. With the brain, however,
the opposite appears more often to be true.
Dr. Andrew Gregory, a
physician in the sports medicine division of the Department of Orthopedics at
Vanderbilt University and a member of USA Football’s Medical Advisory Committee, recently completed
a systematic review of studies on the
topic. He and his colleagues found that the younger a person is, the longer it
takes to recover from concussion.
It is important to
remember, Gregory said, that while this may sound alarming on the surface, the
difference is minimal. Cases show it generally takes adolescents and children
one to two days more recover from concussion.
What isn’t minuscule is
the discrepancy of attention that concussion receives when it comes to
awareness and media coverage.
“The bigger issue is
that most of our attention is focused on college and NFL players when we should
also be looking at how we take care of children and teens who suffer a
concussion,” Gregory said.
All 50 states and
Washington, D.C., have passed laws mandating concussion protocols at the high
school level. Not all laws are the same, however.
About half require
coaches to complete concussion management training at least every other year.
Roughly 25 percent of
states extend the law beyond public schools and into private schools and youth
athletic leagues. About a dozen states
offer immunity to adults who exhibit good-faith efforts in concussion
treatment.
Add to these factors
that while doctors and certified athletic trainers are mandatory on NFL and
NCAA sidelines, only have of U.S. high schools have trainers attend practices
and games while no data is available for medical personnel in attendance at the
youth level.
“Compare that to the way
the NFL and NCAA are addressing concussions,” Gregory said. “We have the
strictest measures for the smallest segments of a single sport. We need similar
guidelines for the millions of children and teens who play sports in their
local communities.”
USA Football’s Heads Up
Football program is providing that guidance for the more than
5,500 youth organizations and 750 high schools that signed up for the program
in 2014, bringing important health and safety education - including concussion
recognition and response – to coaches, parents and players.
Gregory said more
research is needed on this topic, especially at the younger levels. The Datalys
Center concluded a two-year study earlier this year that examined all
injuries at the youth football level. USA Football commissioned the
study.
“USA Football is
providing much-needed information, and the fact is we need more,” Gregory said.
“When it comes to concussions, their effect and recovery times, we have good
data for high school, college and pro. What we need more of is at the youth
level.
“And we need these
studies done for all sports, not just football. USA Football is providing a
model for other sports to copy.”
Reposted from: USA Football
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