With the football and for that matter softball and volleyball seasons in full swing it’s important to be aware of concussion symptoms and prevention tactics. According to concussiontreatment.com, football is the most common sport with concussion risk for males (with soccer being the most common for females) and the games here in Houston County getting more important as the weeks go on, the chances of concussions and concussion-like symptoms will unfortunately rise. That being said there can be a number things coaches, players and parents can do to prevent this from happening. The Center for Disease Control (CDC.gov) estimates that concussions occur 1.6-3.8 million times a year. Just because it can happen doesn’t mean teams and their coaches have to accept the possibility and unfortunate reality of concussions. According to Dr. Michael S. George, MD of KSF Orthopedic Center concussions amongst male and female athletes on all levels can be reduced with simple steps. “Prevention of football injuries has three major things that have to be addressed, conditioning, form and safety,” says Houston-based Orthopedic Surgeon and former Division III outside linebacker at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. “Coming in flexible and in shape after off-season conditioning and improving your tackling form can prevent concussions.” He continued, “As far as running the ball, having good form can also prevent injuries.”
Nationwide programs like Heads Up Football, an online organization that offers coaching certifications, player safety videos, concussion and response education and heat preparation and hydration information, is another tool Houston County Schools athletic directors and coaches can easily add to their training and game day/night regimen this season. Communication is another tool that has always been important in sports, on the field, in the locker room, on the bus to and from the game. When concussions and injuries come into play there can be a distortion in when and what to say in order to stay on the field and court. According to the CDC 47 percent of athletes do not report concussion symptoms and 5-10 percent of all athletes on all levels will experience a concussion in a given sport. “If you have severe pain that is a sign that something isn’t right and you need to see your athletic trainer instead of trying to fight through it,” says George. “Athletes need to look to their coaches and the people that know what they are doing, the people that they trust and do what they say.”
Anterior cruciate ligament tears [Editor’s note: Like the ones suffered by Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Baltimore Ravens tight-end Ben Watson, both resulting in the players missing the entirety of the 2016 season], ankle sprains, hamstring, quad and shoulder dislocations are common football soft tissue injuries that can also be reduced according to George who works with athletes on the Pro Rodeo Tour, professional softball players and the football team at the Texas Institute of Agriculture and Technology in Houston.
The high school athletic seasons have begun and the better educated and communicative the players and coaching staffs are the better our athletes can enjoy themselves while representing Houston County.
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