Tag: Concussions

Colorado High School Football Participation – Before and After 2010

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Has Colorado high school football suffered because of the concussion crisis in college and professional football?

For years the National Football League denied that head trauma could have long-term consequences on its athletes. Finally in 2010, the NFL publicly admitted that many of its former players were suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In 2014, Boston University release a study showing that almost all of the brains studied tested positive for CTE.

Over the past decade the increased awareness of brain trauma and concussions has resulted in the establishment of protocol to identify when athletes have received a concussion. These protocols apply to all sports and all levels of play. As well they would apply to situations off the courts and playing fields.

In some places, reports have indicated that participation in football has resulted in a reduction in the number of football players.

Colorado High School Football

Data from the NFHS shows that the concussion crisis had no impact on the number of Colorado schools with football teams. This data is for the 13 academic years beginning in 2002/2003 and ending 2014/2015. There were 215 teams in 2002/2003 and 211 teams in 2014/2015. This data does not include 8-man football teams. (The program data for 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 appears to be an aberration).

Colorado High School Football

Most years, the average number of participants per program was about 70.

Colorado High School Football

The number of participations reached almost 18,000 in 2007/2008, but declined sharply the next two year. In has since been in the 15,000 to 16,000 range. The fear of concussion on the number of participants appears to be temporary and minimal at this point.

The NFHS data also reported that there were about 50 girls who play high school boys football each year. On average, this means there is about one girl for every four programs.

In 2013/2015, 216 girls participated in the boys programs. The following year, that number dropped back to 35.

Despite the concussion crisis,  Colorado high school football continues to be the king of adolescent sports. Its popularity will likely increase with the recent Super Bowl win by the Denver Broncos.

Get Your Coaches a Concussion Clipboard

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Can you remember the facts about the seriousness of a concussion?  Can you recognize the signs of a concussion? What you need is a concussion clipboard.

Concussions are a serious matter. The Sports Concussion Institute provided the following statistics on their website (April 2014)http://www.concussiontreatment.com/concussionfacts.html#sfaq9)

• CDC estimates reveal that 1.6 million to 3.8 million concussions occur each year.
• 5-10% of athletes will experience a concussion in any given sport season.
• Fewer than 10% of sport related concussions involve a loss of consciousness (e.g., blacking out, seeing stars, etc.).
• Football is the most common sport with concussion risk for males (75% chance for concussion).
• Soccer is the most common sport with concussion risk for females (50% chance for concussion).
• 78% of concussions occur during games (as opposed to practices).
• Some studies suggest that females are twice as likely to sustain a concussion as males.
• Headache (85%) and dizziness (70-80%) are most commonly reported symptoms immediately following concussions for injured athletes.
• Estimated 47% of athletes do not report feeling any symptoms after a concussive blow.
• A professional football player will receive an estimated 900 to 1500 blows to the head during a season.
• Impact speed of a professional boxers punch: 20 mph.
• Impact speed of a football player tackling a stationary player: 25 mph.
• Impact speed of a soccer ball being headed by a player: 70 mph.
At the 2014 USAV High Performance tryouts evaluators with provided clipboards that contained tips for understanding and dealing with concussions. (See picture below).

Is your school’s booster club or parent-teacher organization looking for away to help make the school a safer place? Have you considered following the lead of the USAV by providing all coaches with a concussion clipboard that has the school logo and information about concussions?

In fact, it would be wise to provide all teachers with such a clipboard. You never know when a youngster might fall out of a swing on the playground or an exuberant tuba player might inadvertently hit an innocent trumpeter in the head.

Play it safe.

USA Volleyball concussion clipboard
USA Volleyball concussion clipboard

Concussions – No Joking Matter

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With the start of the high school fall sports season, coaches, parents, and players should take a few minutes to have a discussion about concussions.

Concussions are a form of brain injury. They are caused by a bump or blow to the head. As well they can be caused by a hit to the body that moves the head back and forth rapidly.

According to the Center for Disease Control approximately 1.7 million people receive traumatic brain injuries each year. About 52,000 die, 275,000 are hospitalized, and 1,365,000 make visits to emergency facilities. It is unknown how many people do not receive treatment for their injuries.

Symptoms of a concussion may show up immediately or hours or days after the injury. The following information is from a publication by the Center for Disease Control.

Parents, coaches, and teachers may observe the following symptoms:

  • Appears dazed or stunned
  • Is confused about events
  • Answers questions slowly
  • Repeats questions
  • Can’t recall events prior to the hit, bump, or fall
  • Can’t recall events after the hit, bump, or fall
  • Loses consciousness (even briefly)
  • Shows behavior or personality changes
  • Forgets class schedule or assignments

The athlete may report the following symptoms:

Thinking/Remembering
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering
• Feeling more slowed down
• Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy

Physical
• Headache or “pressure” in head
• Nausea or vomiting
• Balance problems or dizziness
• Fatigue or feeling tired
• Blurry or double vision
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Numbness or tingling
• Does not “feel right”

Emotional
• Irritable
• Sad
• More emotional than usual
• Nervous

Sleep
• Drowsy
• Sleeps less than usual
• Sleeps more than usual
• Has trouble falling asleep

What to do if a Concussion is Expected

Seek medical attention right away. If the potential concussion occurs during a game, the athlete should be removed immediately. Note: Concussions are not limited to boys and the sport of football.

Help them take time to get better. Be patient, a brain injury will take time to heal. As well, it will likely be necessary to limit physical activities and such things as reading or computer work.

Learn more about concussions. The source of this information is http://www.cdc.gov/Concussion/ and http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/statistics.html.