Former Offensive Lineman Miami Dolphins 1990-1997
Hard Knocks is a non-profit program created to assess the needs of young people who are at risk due to social economic factors, head injuries, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, truancy, problems at school, low self-esteem, educational needs, etc.
These particular factors are often combined with a sense of powerlessness.
- The lesson for young athletes, parents and coaches; you don’t need to be “unconscious” for a concussion to be serious
- Any of these symptoms; - headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, memory loss, confusion, insomnia, inability to concentrate - requires a trip to the doctor before getting back into the game
- Many schools now require athletes to take a pre-season test for comparison if they sustain a head injury later
- Medical staff keeps a record of how many impacts a player’s head receives during a season
- Medical decisions must override any competitive decisions
- Girls are significantly more likely to sustain concussion than boys. The fact is that women don’t have necks as well developed as men, so that the shock absorber (the neck) so to speak is not as well developed in women
- Researchers found that girls take longer to recover from head injuries
- Concussions are a serious brain injury and the negative symptoms can range all the way up to death
- Parents should not panic and pull their kids from participating in competition sports. Health consequences from obesity are more dangerous than the possibility of a concussion