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I give my kid’s high school 10 years … we’re already are down to 2 teams … and I can’t see it recovering with the health concerns of parents.</p>
<p>Rather than editing/adding somewhat better quality research to your post after I posted my post, mini, you should just simply remove the chiropractic one you first posted in solo. Its a piece of drek. Better yet, read and stick with the work of Schatz, Barth, Macciocci, McCrea, Varney, Lovell, etc. I know many of these folks personally. They know their stuff.</p>
<p>Sorry - I was still adding to my post when yours came up. The “dreck” numbers didn’t come in that far from those from the Department of Pediatric Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic. But in both cases (and others), the numbers are self-report, some better, some worse, depending on the survey.</p>
<p>I think the point holds in any case. There is a huge percentage of football players who experience symptoms suggestive of concussions, a smaller number of whom report to a coach, and a much smaller percentage of whom ever get near a health care provider until years later. It’s great that the medical profession is taking it very seriously, though they are only likely to immediately see those cases that make it through the funnel.</p>
<p>C’mon mini. You posted that one piece of junk chiropractic article (apologies to any chiropractors out there but this “study” was not well done) and posted it with the one word/line “sobering”. Then you pulled up some other stuff (one news article, one journal article) after I posted. But no matter. You are preaching to the choir, mini. Those who work in the field of head injury/brain injury are very aware of all of this. Athletes under-report because they want to play. When some of the early concussion assessment tools (ImPact, etc) were first developed and released they didnt have good baseline/reliability/validity measures and the athletes quickly learned that if they purposely looked bad on the pre-season baseline measures, they didnt look comparatively so bad when they actually sustained an injury. Who said they were dumb jocks?</p>
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<p>It is estimated that approximately 50% of football players suffer concussion symptoms, but less than 10% actually report them. That is a SCARY thought!</p>
<p>The NFL is not helping the concussion cause and that’s unfortunate. They think they are, but the actions of the medical staffs (evidenced on the sidelines!) and the players reflect different feelings than what they put into the media.</p>
<p>What is “supposed” to happen in the ideal world is that players have pre-season baseline evaluations. If they have a hard hit on the field they are imediately assessed by the coach and have a quick screening done. Depending on the results they may or may not be returned to the game, and depending on the screening score they may be sent for further testing. Regardless, if they are taken out they will (or should) be out until the symptoms clear and they pass the concussion testing/return to or close to baseline. Often this isnt done and by the time they get to a doctor they are symptomatic enough, probably from repeated injuries/concussions, and may have pretty significant difficulties. Here’s another excellent article from very respected professionals in te field [Concussion</a> Symptom Inventory: An Empirically Derived Scale for Monitoring Resolution of Symptoms Following Sport-Related Concussion](<a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2800775/]Concussion”>Concussion Symptom Inventory: An Empirically Derived Scale for Monitoring Resolution of Symptoms Following Sport-Related Concussion - PMC)</p>
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<p>I’ll agree with the baseline testing. I’m hoping to be able to get my athletes done first week of August before practices start. The second part I ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY disagree with. They should be evaluated by a Certified Athletic Trainer. Yes, that would require teams to have an Athletic Trainer. Very few professions come anywhere close to matching the knowledge and training with regards to concussion recognition and concussion management. </p>
<p>Every Athlete Deserves an Athletic Trainer</p>
<p>Totally agree with you, hops scout-- if there is an athletic trainer there. Not every sport has one. Take for instance my s’s Ultimate Frisbee team. Nope-- when he got his bell rung and was not able to stand up at first the screening was done by the coach. I had a FIT since this is what I do, but that was who was trained to do the screening. Now in most, or should I say ALL contact sports yes, absolutely, there should be a qualified, trained professional doing the evaluation.</p>
<p>I think you are talking on the professional level-- I am talking on the HS level. These problems start early on, but the kids deny, deny, deny problems because some see the sport as their ticket to fame or $$. </p>
<p>But no, Varsity Ultimate Frisbee was not my S’s ticket to fame and fortune, sadly… :(</p>
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<p>For youth sports and high school sports, many states require clearance by a medical professional if an athlete is suspected of having a concussion. There is no “screening” by a coach. I think that is an awful idea!</p>
<p>I believe the count is 38 for number of states who have some form of concussion legislation.</p>
<p>If you play contact sports (wrestling, football, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, basketball, etc) you should have an athletic trainer. If you cannot afford to have an athletic trainer, you CANNOT afford the sport.</p>
<p>Well my kids havent been in HS since 2008, so maybe things have changed. They let my son return to play. I was non-plussed.</p>
<p>It is a shame that high school sports have turned so competitive. My daughter has a new cheerleading coach who is like a drill sergeant. The first practices they were doing ten toe touches in a row, running several laps etc… (too much too soon) She schedules practice from 9am-12p but when it is 90 at noon with 90% humidity that can be very hard. When she introduced herself the first words out of her mouth were “I want to make sure this squad doesn’t place 11th at state competition ever again.” (we placed that the last 2 years) </p>
<p>My daughter pulled her groin muscle, another injured her back and another her knee all within those first few days. I wrote a letter explaining my daughter’s chronic illness and her need to more frequent rest breaks at times and she has never called me, wrote back or anything. When my daughter was in severe pain from her groin injury, the assistant coach told her to “suck it up.” and “push past it.”</p>
<p>We come from a rurual community in Ohio that is football, basketball -virtually all sports crazy. (Actually the whole state of Ohio is - seems like that to me anyway) </p>
<p>At our high school this summer they offered “training” by this personal trainer who has supposedly trained world class athletes etc… Parents paid big money for this. I just feel it is a constant push push push.</p>
<p>I love to see our kids win, have fun - I will admit it is exciting. But sometimes, it feels as if our community is using the high school kids as their entertainment and some of the parents are looking to fund their child’s college years with a scholarship.</p>
<p>Or, training can help prevent injuries if the kids stay in shape during the off season. My daughter’s teams offer the option of 2 days a week with a conditioning trainer all through the school year and summer. Although neither of her sports are considered to be contact sports, there are always athletic trainers present at games, and usually available on the grounds during practice. They have been doing baseline impact tests for years (we are in the Pittsburgh area where it started).</p>
<p>@07Dad
<a href=“http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/16/earl-campbell-says-he-has-nothing-to-complain-about/[/url]”>http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/16/earl-campbell-says-he-has-nothing-to-complain-about/</a></p>
<p>mspearl- I agree. The happy medium is quite elusive. I was very, very careful with my runner son and picked coaches, schools and teams based on what my goals were for his future- and this did NOT involve pushing him too hard or burning him out by age 14. At one point in 5th grade he was training with the high school varsity (and keeping up). The boys took care of him like a pet or little brother and it stayed fun. It’s one of the few things I actually did right as a parent!</p>
<p>That was my gripe with youth swimming. By junior high, an age group swimmer who enjoyed it and liked the team was pushed to practice twice a day and it became a grind. There was no room for other activities and no room for a more casual swimming for fitness approach.</p>
<p>Thanks Cowboy112- it is amazing isn’t it!</p>
<p>zoosermom-- read my post/link about Earl Campbell and post/link #73 by Cowboy112. It is a telling summary of the problem. Lots of former players say: “to heck with injury–I’m not complaining. It was worth it.” And it is very common that parents make the same assessment for their kids (along with hope and a prayer).</p>