Friday, February 02, 2007
Battered athletes may suffer the consequences
We see it on the field, in the rink and in the ring. Athletes in high-contact sports suffering concussions - a brain injury caused by a strong blow to the head that can cause dizziness, headache, memory loss, and even a loss of consciousness.
Every year players in the National Football League suffer concussions and risk life-altering consequences, particularly those who experience multiple concussions.
For decades athletes have called them "dings," and some shook them off, "playing through" the injuries that some doctors now link to depression, dementia and even suicide - once an athlete's playing days are over. In a study of nearly 2,500 former NFL players by the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes at the University of North Carolina, the rate of depression for players who had five or more concussions was three times that of players with no history of concussion.
And what about children who play sports? Studies spanning the last 20 years show that nearly 20 percent of high school players - nearly 250,000 kids - suffer concussions yearly, moving experts to call for better education among players, trainers, coaches and parents.
If you've had one concussion your brain needs time to heal because head injuries can cause lasting problems. And we know that a player who has had a concussion has a greater risk of having another one. But if your brain hasn't healed from the first, your next concussion could be fatal.
There's a lot that we don't know about concussion, but with all we do know, do players, coaches and parents need to start taking them more seriously.
Has your child suffered a concussion playing high school sports? How long did you make him or her wait before resuming play?
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