Can This New Texas Program Prevent Sports-Related Brain Injuries?

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) statistics show sports and recreational activities are responsible for 3.8 million concussions each year. While football is responsible for a portion of this number, other sports also cause concussions. Horseback riding, soccer, water polo and other sports can also put high school students at risk for sports-related brain injuries.In Texas, there are more than 800,000 student athletes. To improve the safety of these athletes, the University Interscholastic League and the O’Donnell Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center are launching the nation’s largest brain injury tracking program. This program will track brain injuries in 24 different sports at more than 1,400 middle and high schools in Texas. Researchers will look into why injuries happen, how long it takes student athletes to recover, and how to prevent future concussions.The program will also test the effectiveness of existing concussion prevention laws and programs. Texas has rules for concussion screening for student athletes attending public schools. In our state, we have Natasha’s Law, which requires an athlete to be removed if they are believed to have suffered a concussion. The new concussion tracking program will use its findings to weigh the effectiveness of Natasha’s Law and other rules. In addition, this new program will look at whether concussion recovery programs are effective.Texas’ new screening program is important because it may help prevent some of these injuries from occurring in the first place. By preventing concussions, schools can help students avoid serious and possibly fatal health complications.

Why Should You Take Concussions Seriously?

Until recently, concussions were considered a minor injury. Concussions are anything but minor. Athletes can suffer from post-concussion syndrome, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and second-impact syndrome. The latter condition is often fatal, but it can result in severe disability.Second-impact syndrome is a rare but life-threatening health complication caused by suffering one concussion, and then another shortly afterwards. The condition has received attention from the press for causing deaths and severe brain damage.In 2006, an Indiana high school football player suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit during a game. According to the teenager’s parents, their son complained of a severe headache for days afterwards. His parents took him to a doctor to receive a CT scan, but there were no signs of trauma. Days later, the teenager returned to practice and took another hit to the shoulder. Within minutes, he suffered a seizure. The severe brain swelling caused by second-impact syndrome left the teenager unable to walk on his own, and robbed him of his short-term memory.If Texas researchers can find more effective ways to prevent or identify concussions, they may have luck preventing future cases of second-impact syndrome and other serious health conditions.In the mean time, school have an obligation to keep student athletes safe. Trainers and coaches must identify athletes with concussions and remove them from play.

Do You Have a Plan to Make Football Safer?

There is no denying that football is an important part of Texas culture. Books and television series have focused on the topic. Texans proudly wear their favorite team colors, and millions tune in every time there is a big game (Red River Showdown, A&M and Texas).While there is plenty to love about football, there is no denying it can be dangerous. Concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease, have captured the public spotlight. Abdominal injuries and spinal cord injuries can also harm players.The good news is that many public health problems have solutions. Should football injuries be any different?

Can High-Tech Equipment Prevent Football Injuries?

Football helmets can prevent serious head injuries, but they cannot stop players from sustaining concussions. Concussions happen when the brain moves and twists within the skull. Many occur because of whiplash caused by tackles. A major challenge for making football safer will be how to design equipment that can cushion the brain from whiplash. Researchers and private companies have risen to the challenge.Vicis, a company created by a pediatric neurosurgeon, believes its helmet can reduce concussions in football. The Zero1 helmet uses a multilayered shell to protect the brain. According to the creators, these extra layers can absorb the impact force that causes the brain to rattle within the skull.Vicis is not the only company interested in stopping football’s brain injury epidemic. Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Q30 Innovations have created a small neckband that might prevent concussions. The Q-Collar works by increasing blood volume in the cranium to cushion the brain from whiplash.Abdominal injuries are another health risk football players face. EvoShield has created an impact-resistant undershirt that may offer protection from these injuries. The shirt uses gel that hardens and disperses impact force, possibly protecting players from broken bones and ruptured organs.

Should We Strengthen Our Concussion Guidelines?

Parents should be concerned about football injuries. Although it is rare, children have suffered permanent disabilities and death while playing the sport. Some of these deaths are caused by second impact syndrome. Players can succumb to second impact syndrome after suffering back-to-back concussions within a short timeframe.For these reasons, many states have guidelines in place that address when students can return to play after suffering a concussion. Depending on the state, these policies may require coaches and athletic directors to recognize concussion symptoms so athletes can be removed from play.Texas has Natasha’s law, which political sleuths may recognize as House Bill 2038. In our state, a student athlete is removed from any sport if a coach, physician, health care professional, parent or legal guardian believes the student may have sustained a concussion. Coaches and athletic trainers must undergo training on how to respond to concussions. Students cannot return to play until meeting specific requirements. Keep in mind, this law only covers public schools.

What Would You Add or Change?

It is unlikely Texas, or America for that matter, will ever give up football as a sport. Our two examples are one of many possible ways football could become safer for student, college and professional athletes.Interact with the Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC on Facebook and Twitter to let us know how you would make football safer.