When Ohio High School Athletic Association Commissioner Daniel Ross saw the national statistics for concussions among student athletes, he was struck by the results.
Football, as expected, is No. 1. But the fact that girls soccer ranks No. 2 was a real eye-opener.
“The difference between boys soccer and girls soccer is exactly double,” he said. “We could help a lot of young ladies if we could get some kind of education program.”
Ross visited Akron Children’s Hospital on Tuesday to tour the Sports Medicine Center and to discuss the hospital’s concussion prevention, treatment and return-to-play strategies.
During the meeting, Ross said the state association wants to develop programs that address the growing number of concussions among female athletes.
Dr. Joseph Congeni, director of the Sports Medicine Center at Akron Children’s, said initiatives that “train the trainers” to encourage female athletes to develop their core body strength could help combat the trend.
“The athletes are all bigger, stronger, faster, so the collisions are greater,” Congeni said. “ ... We need to make sure we have the female athletes working on core strength.”
The state athletic association also is interested in developing programs that educate teachers and school counselors about the special struggles student athletes can face when returning to the classroom after sustaining a concussion in a game or practice, Ross said.
Overall awareness about the importance of concussion prevention and proper treatment has increased at all levels of sports as more has become known in recent years about the potential risks and long-term effects.
Even after headaches and other physical problems subside, silent symptoms can linger that put an athlete at risk for serious – even fatal – consequences from a second concussion.
In recent years, the National Football League has become more aggressive in combating concussions among players and restricting their return to the field until their brains have had time to recover.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, for example, was taken to the locker room immediately for testing and kept out of the remainder of the game as a precaution after suffering a concussion late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game in Atlanta. He will be required to pass a series of tests and be cleared by an independent neurologist before he can return.
Since last year, the Ohio State High School Athletic Association has banned student athletes from returning to play after a suspected concussion without a release from a doctor or athletic trainer.
Starting this school year, that permission must be written and submitted to the official before a player can return to a game after leaving with a potential concussion, Ross said.
“We want kids to have a great experience,” he said. “We want to protect our kids.”
Terri Flasco of Copley said she appreciates the fact that steps are being taken to protect student athletes.
Her son, Peyton, 14, doesn’t remember much about the hit he took during the Copley High School freshman football team’s game last week.
“I remember being on the ground and the helmet was to the side,” he said.
The team’s athletic trainer recognized Peyton had signs of a concussion and had him take a cognitive test that was compared with a previous baseline test all Copley football players take.
Although Peyton wants to return to the field, he won’t be allowed back until the athletic trainer and his doctor at the Akron Children’s Sports Medicine Center agree he’s ready.
“I’d rather have this addressed and taken care of so we can do this right,” his mother said.
The state rule regarding return-to-play after concussions applies to about 350,000 high school athletes, Ross said.
However, Congeni and others are advocating for a proposed state law that would require youth athletes at all levels – not just high school – to be cleared by a doctor or athletic trainer before returning to play after being removed because of a suspected brain injury.
“There’s nothing for club sports,” Congeni said. “We’re trying to get something passed that we know would be good for kids.”
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.
