The sight of a 200-pound linebacker running full speed toward someone or a 95 mph fastball coming at his face will scare anyone, yet athletes often sacrifice their bodies and health in an attempt to test their own physical endurance and challenge themselves to push their physical capabilities. Although contact sports are great means of exercise, they come with a big drawback to physical health. The most frequent severe injury high-school athletes suffer is a concussion, according to an August study from Safe Kids Worldwide.
High school athletes suffer thousands of concussions every year in their respective sports, ranging from football to soccer. For every 10,000 practices or games held, 11.2 high school athletes will suffer a concussion. A concussion is usually caused by a blow to the head which causes temporary unconsciousness. However, athletes can sustain a concussion without losing consciousness. Symptoms include inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, headache, fatigue, and dizziness, and usually last around 10 days before disappearing.
Dr. Vincent Mason, a pediatrician for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, offers professional insight.
“The recovery period for concussions can be anywhere from seven to 10 days, to even six months,” Dr. Mason says.
In fact, once an athlete has suffered an initial concussion, his or her chances of a second one are three to six times greater than an athlete who has never sustained a concussion.
“If an athlete has taken a big hit or anything to the head for that matter, they need to have a discussion with their coach or physician,” Dr. Mason adds. “If there are any symptoms, if they don’t feel themselves, even if for a brief period of time, I want to know about it.”
In addition, the approach to concussions has changed a lot over the years, especially with recent developments. “Concussions [have changed] a lot over time and within the last five years, they’ve been taken a lot more seriously. In the ’80s and ’90s, being ‘knocked out’ was considered a concussion. Now, we know that you don’t need to get your bell rung to get [a concussion].”
Varsity football coach Steve Sell is supposed to know when a player is suffering from concussion and needs to be pulled from the game. Sell states, “Many common concussion symptoms include memory loss, dizziness, headache, and nausea. As soon as I see the earliest sign of a possible concussion, I take my players out. Once a player is taken out, they do not play for the rest of the game, and they cannot return until a doctor clears them. I rest the players as long as the doctors tell us to before I play them again. As a coach, I try to reduce the amount of contact in practices and teach techniques that reduce a chance of a concussion.”
Dr. Mason adds, “In sports, within the last two to three years, and especially with the death of Junior Seau (Former NFL Pro Bowler who took his life after sustaining multiple head injuries), there has been a big push to be a lot more proactive, and the barometer is a lot more negative.”
Even though football players suffer more concussions than any other athletes, other contact sports can be fairly dangerous. Senior Jordan Lim suffered a concussion during one of his soccer games. He says, “I have always played soccer. I have been playing since I was six and will continue to do so regardless of the dangers I face. When I play, I do not think about the potential damage I am doing to myself. I am willing to keep playing no matter what until my doctor tells me to stop.”
Changes in the rules of the game have reduced the amount of sports-related concussions. In 1976, the NCAA made the use of tackling with the head illegal, and the number of head and neck injuries declined by about 50 percent.
In 2012, California passed Assembly Bill 1451, which requires all high school football coaches to take a 20-minute online course about recoginzing concussions.
