Number of high school football injuries in Texas drops

by Jeff Fisher
Follow @HSFBamerica

KTBC-TV Fox 7 in Austin is reporting that high school football injuries declined for the third straight year in Texas.

According to a report obtain by the station from the University Interscholastic League, the state's governing body for high school sports, there were 3,200 injuries last year - down from 4,000 in 2012. The UIL says there were 12,000 high school football injuries from 2010 through the 2013 season. 

The most common injury was a sprain with concussions being the second most common, but the number of concussion cases also dropped last year.  The report does not cover every school in the state.

The report goes on to say that most injuries occurred during games and not in practice and that most injuries didn't require a trip to the hospital.

New York High School Football Player Dies from Injury Suffered in Game

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

With the national spotlight shining bright on sports concussions and how to make the game of football safer, a New York high school football player died this weekend from an injury sustained during a game Friday night.

According to published reports, Phoenix High School junior Ridge Barden died Friday night after being rushed to the hospital after suffering a head injury in the third quarter of his team's game at Homer High School.

WSYR-TV in Syracuse is reporting that an autopsy shows that the 16-year old Barden died of bleeding in the brain, due to blunt force trauma as the result of a football injury.

NFHS Strengthens High School Football Concussion Rule

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The National Federation of State High School Associations isn't sitting back when it comes to concussions.

Effective this falls, any player who shows signs, symptoms or behaviors associated with a concussion must be removed from the game and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.

The previous rule directed officials to remove an athlete from play if “unconscious or apparently unconscious.” The previous rule also allowed for return to play based on written authorization by a medical doctor. Now, officials are charged with removing any player who shows signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion, such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion or balance problems, and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.

“Given that the vast majority of concussions do not include a loss of consciousness, but that athletes often show obvious evidence of concussion, the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) strongly believes that officials must continue to be empowered to remove these athletes from play, thus protecting them from further injury,” said Dr. Michael Koester, chair of the SMAC. “Continued participation in any sport following a concussion can lead to worsening concussion symptoms, as well as increased risk for further injury to the brain and even death.

“The safety of the athlete is of paramount concern during any athletic contest," added Dr. Koester. " Officials, coaches and administrators are being asked to make all efforts at ensuring that concussed athletes do not continue to participate. Thus, coaches, players and administrators should also be looking for signs of concussion in all athletes and should immediately remove any suspected concussed athlete from play.”

The rule change is similar to what's going on at the state level when it comes to creating rules. Last year, the State of Washington implemented legislation to protect injured players.

Two California lawmakers are also considering introducing concussion legislation.

California Legislature May Consider Concussion Legislation

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Two San Francisco-area lawyers could change the landscape of high school football in California with a bill that would crackdown on players that suffer concussions.

San Mateo Assemblyman Jerry Hill and Castro Valley Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi are hoping to get the legislature to pass a bill before the start of the 2010 season that would require injured students to get a doctor's okay before returning to the field.

Last year, Washington became the first state to pass legislation that prohibited student athletes exhibiting symptoms of a concussions from returning to play without the approval of a licensed health care provider.

The Oakland Tribune reports that the proposed California legislation comes on the heels of a Thanksgiving Day game last season when San Jose Academy running back Matt Blea went into a coma and almost died.

A Heads-Up to Parents on Sports-Related Concussions

by Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

The New York Times continues to do a great job reporting on sports-related concussions on high school athletes. In Sports Imperative: Protecting Young Brains published Monday, reporter Jane Brody gives some amazing facts, including one that states "53% of concussed high school athletes are suspected of not reporting their injuries to medical personnel."

Meanwhile, Dr. Joseph Congeni, director of sports medicine at Akron Children's Hospital, says parents should be very aware of the risks associated with their children re-entering games after getting their "bell rung".