High school sports injuries highlighted in newly released study

Sports are a big part of growing up for some children. Parents might be shocked to hear the results of a new study that was recently released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study looked into deaths that were caused by traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries in high school athletes.

The study shows that the majority of these deaths were caused by tackles in football games. It looked at deaths of players from the spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries from 2005 through 2014. This same study has been done since 1965 and looking at the historical data compared to the most recent data provides an interesting look at trends.

When the study was first started, deaths from these brain and spinal cord injuries were about four times as high as deaths now. Still, the most recent results show that the number of deaths has been trending upwards a bit. How did this happen? Back in the 1990s, improved helmets and other safety standards brought down the number of deaths. The death rate plateaued for a while but has recently started to climb again.

Another interesting point from the most recent study is that approximately 20 percent of the children who died from one of these injuries had suffered a concussion within the month prior to the fatal injury. This point alone highlights how important it is for a person to be careful after suffering a concussion. Repeat concussions are very dangerous.

Improved medical care is another factor that is being heralded as a reason for the decrease in deaths when compared to data from the early days of the study. For people who have suffered a brain injury, medical care is imperative but the cost might be prohibitive. Seeking compensation might help some victims of traumatic brain injuries to get the care they need.

Source: Athletic Business, “Brain Injury Study Shows Increased Death Rate,” Courtney Cameron, Jan. 10, 2017