Health & Safety

One possible therapy for athletes with post-concussion syndrome is treatment by a chiropractic neurologist, who uses a deep toolbox of non-invasive sensory experiences to gently stimulate (or calm) targeted areas of the brain or nervous systems in order to reduce neurologic imbalance and improve function and productivity.

Young baseball and softball players who receive direct ball impact to the chest wall directly over the heart may develop sudden cardiac arrest, a condition called commotio cordis.  Teaching batters to turn away from an inside pitch, and pitchers to react as quickly as possible to a batted ball hit back at them can help reduce the risk, and an AED and a someone trained in CPR should be on site at all times to increase the chances of survival.

A concussion suffered by her 8-year-old son playing youth football, and the way it was managed - or, in his case, mismanaged - prompts a mother to write a lengthy letter urging her state legislators to extend her state's concussion safety laws to all sports programs using public facilities.

While no medicine has been shown to effectively speed the recovery from concussive brain injury, some new and non-traditional therapies have been shown to help relieve the symptoms of post-concussion syndrome, as well as the value of strict cognitive and physical rest.

While it is possible that intentional heading in soccer represents a form of repetitive subconcussive mild brain injury which, over time,  could be a cause of chronic traumatic encephalpathy (CTE), the possible cause-and-effect relationship remains theoretical, says a 2012 study.

Elite female soccer players are at risk for menstrual irregularities and stress fractures from the combination of intense training and insufficient nutrition, says a new study.

A 15-minute neuromuscular warm-up program significantly reduced the ACL injury rate in teenage female soccer players, finds a new study. Players who used the program at least once a week also had significant decrease in rates of severe knee injury and other acute knee injuries.

New guidelines have been issued for ensuring that a football helmet fits properly, which a 2012 unpublished research paper found was a simple but effective step in minimizing risk of concussion and catastrophic brain injury.

Protecting youth athletes from becoming victims of sexual predators involves much more than criminal background checks of coaches before they are hired, says a longtime interscholastic sports administrator.