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Football Concussion
October 30, 2007
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It only takes two words, “Player Down” to bring a spirited high school football
game to a halt. Football coach and athletic director Phil Dorn has experienced that
scenario many times. “The first thing that I’ve done is try not to panic. It may not be as bad as it looks, at least not at the moment. You try and stay calm and
you try to keep the student athlete calm.”
Players can suffer everything from bumps and bruises to nerve problems.
“You’ll see some of what we call burner syndrome, the nerves get pinched in the
neck area,” says Dorn.
It’s those neck and head injuries that football coaches and physicians say should
always be taken seriously.
Dorn says, “We do have throughout the year some mild concussions and I have to follow
all the protocols for that.”
Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. John Kagan agrees. “If you’ve had one or two concussions
and you’ve been out with a concussion you don’t need to be playing collision
sports because you can get a concussion when you don’t wake up. When you have a problem
with your neck or with your spine I’m pretty hesitant to return those players to
collision sports.”
Along with strength training and conditioning a good way to protect you from injury
is to properly gear-up for the gridiron.
“We try not to be restrictive on getting the best equipment we can get. Our players
are in the best football helmets they can wear,” says Dorn about his players.
A general rule for concussions is to wait at least seven days for symptoms to fade.
But if your symptoms persist you should immediately see a physician.
The American Academy of orthopedic surgeons says teenage athletes get injured at
about the same rate as pro athletes.
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