Detroit — Traumatic brain injuries — the most common are concussions — have increased dramatically in the last decade.
In the United States alone, brain injuries account for an estimated 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports injuries every year, with approximately 300,000 of those being diagnosed among young, nonprofessional athletes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in a 2011 study an estimated 173,000 visits annually among students 19 and younger for sports- and recreation-related brain injuries, including concussions — a 60 percent increase in the decade.
Football-related concussions account for nearly half of the concussions experienced by high school athletes. Surprisingly, the CDC study found the most common cause of concussion-related injuries for younger kids is bicycle accidents. For girls, concussions occurred most frequently while cycling or playing soccer or basketball.
Against this backdrop, the state of Michigan put into effect a new concussion law June 30, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association has notified principals and athletic directors at junior high/middle and senior high schools. The new law is broader in scope than the MHSAA requirements geared primarily at senior high schools passed in 2010.
The new law also applies to physical education classes, intramural and out-of-season camps or clinics.
Head coaches and teachers will be required to complete a free online training course in the detection and treatment of concussion-related injuries under the new law. The course, which takes about 45 minutes, will be mandated for assistant coaches next year.
The other requirements basically mirror the MHSAA rules of 2010: each school must designate a person to evaluate suspected concussions; a student who is withheld from competition because of a suspected concussion may not return that day and only on a subsequent day with the written clearance of an M.D. or D.O.
In addition, each school must provide educational training materials to students and parents and collect and maintain their signed statement of receipt of that information for the duration of the student’s involvement with the school, or age 18.
What is a concussion?
“A concussion is a traumatic, usually temporary brain injury that disrupts cerebral function,” according to Family Circle magazine. “The brain consists of soft tissue, which is cushioned from everyday bumps by the cerebrospinal fluid it floats in. Concussions occur when there is a jolting impact to the head or body, which may cause the brain to slide against the inner skull wall. That can result in bruising blood vessel damage and nerve impairment, which can affect mental stamina and make the brain work longer and harder to complete even simple tasks.”
Symptoms of a concussion
Symptoms differ widely. They may be subtle or severe, immediate or delayed, and last for days or weeks. Headaches, dizziness and disorientation are the most common, while a small percentage of kids lose consciousness.
Jeffrey Kutcher, M.D., associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School, advises whenever a child sustains a blow to the head, he or she should be monitored for 24 hours to make sure the child’s behaving and responding normally. If not, see a doctor immediately.
