It's A Personal Decision

"YOU LET YOUR SON PLAY FOOTBALL???"

Uh...yeah.  I seem to be getting that more and more these days.  It is often followed by the question/statement--"well what about concussions?"  Well, OK, that's an issue.  A big issue.  In all of sport.  Not just football.

As far as I know (and I should know), my son never had a concussion playing football.  I did.  There is one high school game that I don't remember.  At all.

I remember showing up in Dayton, Tennessee for the game and remember lining up across from an All State tackle.  I sort of remember him slapping me on the head and then it all fades. I never came out of the game.

 The next thing I remember is arriving back at my high school.  In film review, I actually played pretty well.  But I sure don't remember it.  This is from a person that can still tell you scores and individual plays some 45 years later.

So I obviously didn't suffer any cognitive damage from concussions from years of playing football (my cognitive insufficiencies are strictly my own).  That was also my only concussion.

So how do I answer the question of how can I possibly allow my child to play a sport where concussions happen?  That's a good question.

Medical science and research has taught how serious concussions can be. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they require our full attention and our best efforts. 

That same medical science and research has taught us how to better deal with concussions.  No longer do we put athletes back in the game once it "appears" that they are OK. 

We treat every blow to the head that results in any symptoms (headache, dizziness, blurred vision...those sorts of things) as a concussion.  And we don't wait until an athlete tells us that they are having a problem. 

If you ever watch one of our athletic trainers watching a game, you will likely see us watching intently.  I want to see how a player reacts to a collision.  Do they stagger away?  Does it seem like they are a bit disoriented?  Does something just not seem right about the way they move?

In the NFL, they even have a staff of athletic trainers whose job is to watch the game on video monitors, replaying possible injury scenarios.  They have the power to pull a player from a game based on all this. 

Once we have decided that something is up, that player must complete a battery of tests that includes balance and cognitive testing.  If there is anything (anything!) that indicates a problem, that game is over for that player. 

Then, for that player to return to sports they must pass a formal and extensive cognitive test, perform a variety of balance activities, and get medical clearance.  No exceptions. 

So what's the bottom line here?  We are better at recognizing possible concussions.  We are better at managing those concussions.  We are better at making sure that it is safe for an athlete to return to their sport. 

But it's still a personal decision.