Sports Concussions on the Rise

We have no idea what the fruit of the growing body of research on concussions among kids will lead, but we do know that parents, coaches, schools, and community athletic groups need to be more diligent in prevention and treatment. Gone are the days when a kid who suffers a severe blow to the head needs to shake it off and get back in there. New research from the University of Michigan School of Nursing tracked nearly fifty-three-thousand students in grades eight, ten, and twelve. They found that self-reported concussions rose from 2016 to 2020. Specifically, in 2016 nineteen-point-five percent of kids reported experiencing at least one concussion. By 2020 that number had risen to twenty-four-point-six percent of kids. There was no increase among kids who do not participate in sports. The increase was seen among our sports-playing kids. Parents, concussion injuries do both short and long-term damage. Keep an eye your kids in ways that prepare them for a life-time of healthy living.