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New recommendations issued for sports related brain injuries
by Anter Prakash Singh - November 2, 2010 - comments
The growing feeling of competition and lack of expert supervision often means that players are allowed to remain on field even after suffering head injuries or are given very short period to recover.
The American Academy of Neurology has issued new guidelines, recommending that players with head injuries should be kept out of field till examination by a specialist. The sports activities should be performed under the observation of a qualified trainer.
In an effort to put in place new norms for amateur sports leagues’ handling of brain injury, the largest association of neurologists of the country has recommended that a qualified trainer should be present during all sports activities, including training where there are chances of a sports-person suffering concussions due to brain injury.
New guidelines focus on children
The new guidelines published in journal ‘Neurology,' come within two weeks of the National football League announcing strict sanctions against helmet to helmet engagements, which are believed to be increase the risk of a brain injury.
The new guidelines will affect 4.1 million high school and youth football league players who generally practice and even play without the presence of professionally certified trainers, who can identify and take action in case of brain trauma.
Whereas professional sports and college sports activities have qualified trainers and medical specialists present during matches and practice, youth leagues generally have volunteers or parents who decide whether a player should play or not after a head injury.
The increasing sports activities have put elementary and middle school kids at the risk of concussions and the number of children seeking treatment for sports related injuries has doubled during 2000 to 2005. Children between 8 to 14 years of age were the most affected.
Experts are concerned about these figures as research has shown that young brains are more prone to the affects of concussions and take longer periods to heal.
The growing feeling of competition and lack of expert supervision often means that players are allowed to remain on field even after suffering head injuries or are given very short period to recover.
Experts concerned over increasing concussions
Christopher Giza, a paediatric neurologist who participated in the study, said that it is a common mistake as most of the time when the player should have been taken out, he is allowed to remain in the field amid the danger of additional injury.
Whereas professional sports and college sports activities have qualified trainers and medical specialists present during matches and practice, youth leagues generally have volunteers or parents who decide whether a player should play or not after a head injury
The American association of Neurologists have issued its last guidelines in 1997 and since then much research has been done on brain injuries among sports persons and war veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq.
The academy experts are rewriting these guidelines which are expected to be released in April 2012.