Number for kids 8 to 13 doubled, tripled for 14 to 19, study found
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes
Seeded on Mon Aug 30, 2010 10:45 AM EDT (msnbc.com)
- msnbc.com sites & shows:
- TODAY
- Rock Center
- Nightly News
- Meet the Press
- Dateline
- Morning Joe
- Hardball
- Ed
- Maddow
- Last Word
- msnbc tv
Leave a Comment:
The increase in helmet use has had an unintended consequence--more risky behavior.
High school and college football continue to undergo the most serious physical changes so this should not be a surprise.
1) More and more high schools are allowing football players to be retained for five years of eligibility. This means that the players are heavier and quicker.
2) The NCAA has forces colleges to allow five years of eligibility. Added to the increasing number of states allowing five years of eligibility, you're talking about adding almost two years to the age of the average college football player and consequently players are much quicker and heavier.
3) The size of football players from high school through the NFL has increased dramatically over the last 40 years. 40 years ago there were no 350-lb players in the NFL, now they are too numerous to count. This also holds true for college where there has been over a 50-lb gain and high schools (for which good numbers are not available.) But all this weight has come with a slight increase in speed.
4) Speed plus weight gives a huge increase in impact foot-pounds. This is where your injuries are coming from.
Blaming helmets is very disingenuous reasoning. Football helmets have always been state of the art for head protection and have improved gradually over time. Helmets do a better job now than they ever did. It's just that the massive increase in foot-pounds of impact and the additional years of impacts are overwhelming the helmet's ability to protect.
Somehow football has reached the level of a national religion. High schools are dropping the arts and music and increasing class sizes, but can still allow football players to attend for an additional year for free. And while teachers have to ask parents for supplies that have been cut from budgets, money can always be found for a $400 pair of adhesive gloves for a receiver. This "religion" status allows football to take additional risks with young lives without consequence.
I know that it wasn't the point of your post, but you hit one of my biggest peeves. The dropping of arts and music from high schools is a good thing. I can endure the confiscation of my property to fund educational efforts that benefit the community, but the benefits of "teaching" music and art is beyond me.
I will provide for the entertainment of my children-I need the school to assist me with academics.
Trevor --
Yes, why teach aesthetics and culture to our barbaric little brats? It's not like they will ever mix with the kind of people with whom they would be embarrassed to fail to recognize a Van Gogh or Wagner. Such people would never invite them to dinner -- at least not twice.
For that matter, why teach them History or Social Studies? After all, what do they really need to know in order to make war -- which is about the only thing we excel at any more. We do want them to develop new weapons, so they need science and math. A little reading comprehension, I suppose. Other than that, it's all a waste of good money.
Lighten up, Francis.
Boy, I bet you're a lot of fun at parties.
Youth football leagues must be made to use only concussion reducing helmets. Also, helmet makers have to eliminate the inexpensive non-concussion helmets and only offer the ones designed to protect against concussions! Ban the use and manufacture of non-concussion helmets!
The number of reported concussion may be increasing simply because hits to the head are being taken seriously. It seems to me that in the 1950-1970s parents would simply have their kid lie on the couch for a few hours and maybe call the M.D. In addition to the news the past year that the number of ER visits have risen.
One reason for the rise in concussions, I believe, is that kids today are so much larger than they used to be. One of our friends who was a high school football star who played guard in the early 1970s weighed 180 pounds, and he said he usually outweighed the kid he was over by at least 20 pounds. He was very muscular and was considered a beast back then. Fast forward to 2005 when our high school freshman son, who is 5'10", was told he would never start varsity O-line unless he weighed at least 265 (he got up to 218 and did start every game as center his senior year through much hard work in the weight room). It is not uncommon for high schools to have 300-pound linemen these days. It's a matter of physics. I'm glad no Division 1 colleges showed interest in our "tiny" son (!) and that he is no longer playing football as he had several concussions during his playing years.
I wonder if there is a list of the sports where they see the most concussions? Obviously football is one. Hockey would be another. But what about cheerleading? To me that should rank right up there. And they have no protective equipment when tumbling or being thrown. I know with cheerleading you have to sign all kinds of waivers stating coaches and staff cannot be held accountable for injury.
My kids play soccer. A little safer for them.
Not much safer, specialy soccer for highschool kids. I saw a program were they discussed the relationship of these sports, football, soccer, boxing, even baseball, etc) and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Very scary how with time concussions can lead to brain damage enough to get a neurological disease like ALS. Parents and coaches should be aware of the long term concequences of such sports and provide more safety and follow medical advice. I am all for sports but safety should be number one with the kids.
Cristina,
Many neurologists are convinced that Lou Gehrig did not have ALS, but rather the cumulative result of numerous concussions that were never treated. Gehrig still holds the record for the number of consecutive games played.
to me, it should come as no surprise, sports are a huge part of our youths lives. i think its almost a good thing that so many more are being reported to the hospitals because people are recognizing symptoms and taking actions to prevent further injury
to me, it is no surprise that there is a high rate of concussions in youth sports. they have become a fundamental part of growing up in america. injuries are never good, especially when it involves children but its almost a good thing that more are being reported to the ER's. now, i dont have the actual numbers of course, but I dont see why it would be any higher today than it was 3-4 years ago but if so many more are being reported that means theres that many more kids potentially being saved from future brain damage.
Probably not. There's not much that can be done for concussions.
A really good choice would be for adults to refuse to allow children to participate in activities that have a high probability for serious injury. But that would involve responsible parenting and the ability to say -- and mean -- no, so that's not likely to happen.
I'm not sure we'll notice much difference if most of them are running around with brain damage in any case. Certainly most parents won't.
What I'd like to mention is the waivers that parents sign in order to allow their athletic to participate in sports. If the child, teen, high school age, if they get hurt, the waiver that their parents have signed, does not allow the school to take responsiblity for the injury. These kids are left with severe injuries, costs, and physical limitations. All for the sports.
Leaving that child or teen with injuries that would be life lasting. Then what. As parents you have an athletic that is no longer able to participate in the sport that injured them. His team is short a player and the game is lost. But the most important is the injuries, continued treatment as well as costs. The school or college is allowed to continue injurying the next group who will try out, play, recieve life lasting injuries. These waivers do not protect the athletic. What about them. Please protest the waivers, make sure you read them through, take them to an attorney if necessary. We as parents need to make the school accept some responsibilty.