Lost in Translation: The Perils of Tweeting About Concussions

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Thu, 02/28/2013 - 18:14. | comments

One of the things I try to do every day is carve out time to keep up with what people are saying on Twitter, and occasionally throwing in my two-cents worth. For those of you reading this blog who follow MomsTEAM on Twitter, it won't come as any big surprise that concussions in sports seems to be the topic that most often lights up the youth sports Twittersphere.

But as anyone active on Twitter also knows, condensing one's thoughts into 140 character "tweets" is often a challenge, and can sometimes leave a lot to be desired, especially when one is talking about a subject as complex as concussions.

Last night was one of those times.

As anyone active on Twitter knows, condensing one's thoughts into 140 character "tweets" is often a challenge, especially when one is talking about a subject as complex as concussions. Last night was one of those times.

Brooke de Lench

Chronic Under-Reporting Of Concussion: Is Changing The Culture A Realistic Solution?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Tue, 02/26/2013 - 03:39. | comments

If your child plays a contact or collision sport, whether at the youth, middle school or high school level, odds are that at some point in their athletic career they will suffer a concussion. How well they recover depends a lot on how quickly their concussion is identified so they can be removed from practice or game action.

A lot of student-athletes - a declining percentage, fortunately - don't appreciate precisely when they have suffered a concussion. There are a lot of reasons:

Most athletes won't self-report concussion symptoms to sideline personnel, much less voluntarily remove themselves from the game. Changing the culture is one way to address the problem of chronic under-reporting, but it can't be counted on as a panacea.

Concussion Education For High School Soccer Players Lacking, Survey Finds

A survey of high school athletic directors, coaches, and certified athletic trainers in Michigan finds that, while concussion education is very common in football, less than half of girls' soccer players received such education.

Stronger Necks May Reduce Concussion Risk: Study

A growing number of concussion experts, strength and conditioning trainers, and physical therapists believe that one important way the risk of sport-related concussion can be reduced is to strengthen the neck, the theory being that stronger neck muscles will help cushion against the forces that cause concussion.

Student-Athletes' Bill of Rights Offered As Resolution in U.S. House of Representatives

The Secondary School Student Athletes' Bill of Rights has been introduced as House Resolution 72 (H. Res. 72) by Congressman Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania. The bill is based on a bill of rights created by the Youth Sports Safety Alliance, an organization committed to keeping young athletes safe founded by the National Athletic Trainers' Association which now counts more than 100 organizations (including MomsTEAM) as members.

High Concussion Rate in Boys' Lacrosse Blamed On Intentional Head-to-Head Contact With Defenseless Players

Lacrosse may be the fastest-growing high school boy's sport in the United States, but only football and ice hockey have higher concussion rates. A 2013 study pinpoints the possible culprit: widespread and intentional use of helmets during player-to-player contact, often to defenseless players, and usually without a penalty being called.

King-Devick: New Screening Tool May Dramatically Improve Concussion Detection Rate on Sports Sideline

A new study provides additional evidence that the King-Devick Test, a simple two-minute test of rapid eye movement, is an accurate "remove-from-play" sideline concussion assessment tool which can accurately identify athletes with concussion, even when they neither display obvious concussion signs nor report any symptoms.

Are Concussed Athletes Being Returned To Play While Still Cognitively Impaired?

A significant number of concussed student-athletes may be cleared to return to play despite being cognitively impaired, finds an important new study, which recommends adding post-exertion computerized neurocognitive testing to the return-to-play protocol.

Youth Sports Safety: By The Numbers

A helpful compilation of statistics on concussions, exercise-induced asthma, exertional heat illness, sudden cardiac arrest, exertional sickling, use of steroids and dietary supplements, and cervical spine injury collected by the National Athletic Trainers' Association.

First National Action Plan For Sports Safety Issued

The Youth Sports Safety Alliance, composed of more than 100 organizations committed to keeping young athletes safe (including MomsTEAM), has launched the first-ever "National Action Plan for Sports Safety" (NAPSS) to ensure comprehensive action to protect America's student athletes.

Health & Safety