The pressure to perform for young adults on the playing field can be as intense as it is for the professional athlete. Scholarships may be the focus of some high school athletes. Peer pressure or the desire for parental approval can fuel tweens and teens to stay in the game despite a serious risk to their health.
We have discussed the very real danger of student athletes hiding their head injuries and concussion symptoms from coaches, trainers, teachers, and parents. It is a severe threat to those playing football as well as soccer, hockey, and rugby here in Indiana and Illinois.
High School Students Can Suffer CTE
The danger of permanent bodily harm to young athletes because of head injuries is shared by many safety advocates. See, “How Students’ Brains Are in Danger on the Field,“ written by Linda Flanagan and published in The Atlantic on August 15, 2017.
The risk of head trauma being ignored or discounted by concussion victims playing school sports is high, and it is compounded by the desire for the student to continue playing at all costs.
As the Atlantic article points out, research studies reveal that even high school football players can suffer sufficient head injuries to develop CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). See, Mez J, Daneshvar DH, Kiernan PT, et al. Clinicopathological Evaluation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Players of American Football. JAMA. 2017;318(4):360–370. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.8334.
That’s right: the same CTE that professional football players suffer, and which formed the basis of many of the claims asserted against the NFL, can develop in a high school athlete playing school sports.
CTE is a risk facing student athletes along with the other consequences of a concussion or TBI, which include complications that arise not only from a child’s developing body and brain, but from the youngster’s smaller size and ability to withstand impact. For details, read:
- Severe Sports Injuries and Permanent Harm to Athletes and Students in Indiana and Illinois
- Football Brain Injuries: How Dangerous Is It To Play Football?
School Sports: Hiding Head Trauma to Stay in the Game
Despite these risks, and the growing public awareness of the dangers of head trauma facing anyone playing contact sports no matter their age or proficiency level, young adults and teenagers are notorious for ignoring symptoms of a head injury.
Students will continue to participate in the game, the meet, or the practice even if they have awareness they have been hurt.
Researchers estimate that as many as HALF of high school athletes who suffer a concussion while playing a school sport will not stop playing even if they are very much aware they have suffered a head trauma.
See, Rivara, Frederick P., et al. “The effect of coach education on reporting of concussions among high school athletes after passage of a concussion law.” The American Journal of Sports Medicine 42.5 (2014): 1197-1203.
Why does this happen? One study found the perception among tweens, teens, and young adults is that admitting to suffering a head injury will (1) make the victim look weak both to their coaches as well as their peers, or (2) that coaches or parents would be angry that they wanted to exit the game.
This study also found the pressure to remain silent and stay in the game is more intense for boys than for girls. Researchers found that boys were 4-11 times less likely to admit being hurt in a head injury than girls.
See, “Boys more likely to hide concussion than girls,” written by Maureen Salamon and published by UPI News on June 9, 2017.
Protecting the Student Athlete from Head Injuries on the Playing Field
For some, the solution is to encourage fellow students and teammates to alert coaches, teachers, trainers, and parents to the possibility that their team member may have suffered a concussion or head injury.
A campaign promoting young athletes to take a pledge where they will “speak up” if they believe someone is hurt has begun with the Concussion Legacy Foundation. Under the slogan “Team Up Speak Up,” organizations representing school athletes across the country are working together to encourage students to monitor fellow players for concussion risks.
But is this really the answer? From the perspective of those representing accident victims and their families, asking kids to self-police themselves sounds novel. It may be a step toward changing the sporting culture overall. However, it does not change the legal duties of care placed upon those who oversee student athletes playing team sports.
Under the laws of Indiana and Illinois, student athletes are owed a duty of care by those overseeing the sporting event and the game or practice. Coaches, teachers, trainers, and others in roles of authority have an obligation to keep these kids safe from harm.
The reality that student athletes may try and continue play after suffering a concussion or TBI does not change the need to monitor these kids. Instead, it means those in positions of authority or supervision must be all the more vigilant in observing the players for the symptoms of head injury.
Signs of a concussion or head injury in a child or young adult may include any or all the following, according to the Mayo Clinic:
- Headache
- feeling of “pressure” in the head
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Balance problems
- Dizziness
- Double vision
- Blurry vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Sensitivity to noise
- Feeling sluggish
- Feeling groggy
- Feeling dazed
- Difficulty paying attention
- Memory problems
- Confusion
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Sleeping problems
- Mood changes
- Changes in behavior.
If a child or student athlete playing school sports suffers an injury to their head and thereafter exhibits any of these signs or symptoms, then he or she should be removed from play and given immediate medical care and treatment.
Failure to do so may result in legal claims for negligence, bodily injury, or even wrongful death seeking damages that can include not only medical expenses, but therapy costs, pain and suffering, and other recognized compensations.
Young players and student athletes in Indiana and Illinois must be kept safe from the risk of head trauma and the life-long consequences of concussion and brain injury, including CTE. Let’s be careful out there!
