Concussion Education Key To Athletes’ Future
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Every year, more than 100,000 concussions occur among football players at all levels of play.
About 90-percent of those do not involve the loss of consciousness.
“It’s not about the hit on the outside of the head, it’s about the slinging of the brain on the inside of the skull which causes the concussion,” said Dr. Mark Mosley, Wesley Medical Center.
If the first hit is not examined or healed, another can be detremental to an athletes’ health.
“This second hit, after a concussion, called second-impact syndrome, has a high mortality rate, and can devastate kids’ brains for life,” said Dr. Mosley.
Emergency rooms in Kansas are seeing more concussion cases.
Last Friday, Beloit sophomore Jadon Adams collapsed during halftime of a football game.
Adams had been hit earlier in the week during practice.
The next day, University of Kansas red-shirt freshman Brandon Bourbon suffered a concussion during a punt return.
“The student athlete of today is probably stronger, faster, more physical and heavier, and those may play a piece in terms of how hard the hit is, or how much you’re jerked around when you’re in the field of play,” said Dr. Mosley.
What is the solution?
A new, local organization called the Kansas Sports Concussion Partnership, is working to educate communities on the long-term effects of concussions, and why proper healing is important.
Area high schools like Augusta are taking that one step further, with computerized testing that shows a players’ concussion history.
“With our freshmen coming in, you know if they’ve had anything in middle school, as far as concussions, or anything like concussion-like symptoms,” said Roger Robben, Augusta High School head football coach.
As the sports world focuses more on the future, rather than the now, many say pro-active, educational measures are important.
“It’s better to miss a game, than miss the rest of your life,” said Dr. Mosley.