The amount of children going to emergency medical facilities for concussion-like brain injuries is up, a new study says. But, while medical visits are one the rise, the severity of the injuries has decreased, likely because of better awareness.
The study says doctors at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center saw an increase of 92 percent between 2002 and 2011. The amount of children admitted to the hospital for additional care stayed around 10 percent.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Holly Hanson, says "People and doctors are recognizing sports-related concussions more. People are recognizing the signs and symptoms. People are more aware of the complications. So people are coming in more." (Via HealthDay)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says brain injuries are responsible for more than 6,000 kids and teenagers dying every year.
The study says most of the kids brought in suffered the head injuries from skiing, sledding, inline skating, and skateboarding. The researchers say that's likely due to those sports not having many coaches or regulators around to make sure they're wearing helmets. (Via Science World Report)
But, better education regarding concussions could be attributed to another sport — football.
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The NFL recently settled a $765 million lawsuit with former players over long-term effects of concussions from playing in the league. (Via Sports Illustrated)
The increased focus on brain injuries has prompted many sports leagues like the NFL, NCAA, MLB, NHL, and many others to change rules in hopes of curbing the risk.
While the researchers of the study say it’s good adults are more aware of concussion-related problems, there’s quote, “a lot of room to improve.”
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