Earlier this month, I was featured on Steve Spriester’s segment called “Spriester Sessions” on KSAT. We discussed the issue of concussions in the NFL with trainer Bay Bay McLinton. Players are beginning to realize the price they are paying later
A recent University of Pittsburgh Medical Center study on high school athletes who had a sports related concussion shows a significant relationship between recovery time for those who treated it right away and those who returned to the playing fields.
The jury is still out on what this might mean for high school football. But here’s the back story: On the heels of concussion lawsuits filed against the NFL and NCAA, this month, the same attorney who filed the NCAA class-action law suit has filed a class action suit against the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). And according to a CNN report, the attorney isn’t stopping with one state. He plans to sue every state high school athletic association in the country.
Yes, it is true that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), made a surprise announcement last week regarding flu vaccines. What you probably saw was a headline stating something along the lines of: “Flu Vaccine Not Effective for Most of This Year’s Cases.”
There was obviously more to that story. However, it concerns me that many people might believe that headline means you don’t need a flu shot this year because it’s not going to work. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It’s pretty much their nature – team sports and injuries go together. But the rise in concussion awareness is making us all more vigilant about the broader issue of sports safety.
Over the last few years, there have been numerous studies and research on sports-related head injuries in young athletes. The findings have led to big changes in schools and local sports initiatives. Safety is increasingly becoming a priority – and a popular one at that.
A few weeks ago, CBS News aired a story that focused on the “unjustified fear of concussions.”
In the report, it was noted that there has been a decline in the number of kids playing sports. Blame was laid squarely on the shoulders of the media for too much hype over concussions. The report went so far as saying concussion hype is doing more harm than good by keeping kids out of sports.
No matter how dangerous or distasteful smoking is portrayed in commercials and in society, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says 22.9 percent of our high school students are using a tobacco product.
While Ebola has taken center stage in the headlines, there are other threats out there and parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms.
The short answer is yes; there is a connection between the position a football player holds and concussion. But there’s more to the story. There is a connection between college football players and concussions – period. The study showed there is only a one in seven chance that college football players will report concussion symptoms.
There’s good news on the Ebola front. First and foremost – it’s now clear that the people who came in contact with Thomas Eric Duncan (the first Ebola-related death), from his girlfriend to the healthcare workers who cared for him, were cleared from quarantine. They do not have Ebola.