3.9 million – that’s the estimated total number of sports and recreational-related concussions every year in the U.S., according to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The problem though, is that unlike a broken ankle, you can’t see a concussion. Because diagnosing concussions is difficult, The CDC says that the real danger with concussions is the premature “return to play” before the injury has healed resulting in the chance for a repeat concussion.
And it’s estimated that US high school athletes sustain 300,000 concussions per year; 67,000 from interscholastic football alone. The risk of concussions is highest in the 15-19 year-old age group among all age-groups nationally. Most youth-sports concussions are in football and hockey, followed by soccer, wrestling, basketball, field hockey, baseball, softball and volleyball, reports The CDC.
And with the recent increased attention on head injuries and concussion awareness, from the NFL down to Pop Warner football and other youth sports, it’s a good time for sports-parents to review concussion prevention, symptoms and management as local kids head off to summer sport camps and practices.
Sports-parents (and youth coaches) can educate themselves about concussion prevention, symptoms and management through The CDC, USA Football, football’s nation governing body, and at The California Interscholastic Federation (the rule-making body for high school athletics).
www.CIFState.org
