Life-saving Ideas to Prevent Head Injuries among Young Football Players

Wearing padded helmets and using safe tackling techniques can reduce the risk of having head injuries among young football players, suggests a new study.

Highlights:

Head injuries are more common among football players
Using safe tackling techniques and wearing padded helmets can reduce the risk of concussions among young football players

Soccer players are at a higher risk of having concussions. However, using safer tackles and wearing padded helmets could be life-saving ideas to protect young football player’s head, skull, and brain.//

Middle school football players greatly reduce the chance of head injuries if they wear padded helmets and use safe tackling and blocking techniques, according to Rutgers researchers.

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‘Wearing padded helmets and using safe tackling techniques can reduce the risk of having head injuries among young football players.’
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The study was published in the journal Neurosurgery. With youth players representing 70 percent of all amateur and professional football participants, attention is turning to the safety of the sport for younger players. Concussions and other head injuries in football and other contact sports among older athletes have been linked to cognitive problems, including dementia, depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease.

“Parents are understandably concerned that their young football players are putting themselves at risk for the same long-term brain or nervous system injuries that are reported in older players,” said Robert Heary, director of the Center for Spine Surgery and Mobility at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

“Although concussions causing readily observable signs and symptoms are of great concern to physicians examining football players during and after games, the effects of other head trauma with fewer symptoms also can result in long-term damage.”

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The research team monitored 20 members of a youth football team in New Jersey who wore helmets equipped with a system that tracked the number and severity of impacts that each player sustained during their 20-practice, seven-game season.

A tackling coach taught players and coaches safe methods for blocking, defeating blocks and tackling that reduced head contact for both offensive and defensive players. During practices, the players wore Guardian Caps, which are helmets fitted with a padded cover that lessen the number of high-energy head impacts.

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There were 817 recorded impacts during the season — an average of 41 impacts per player and about 20 minutes of full contact per practice — but no concussions.

“The use of Guardian Caps, safe tackling techniques and the age of participants may have contributed to the very low number of impacts recorded and the complete lack of injuries,” said Heary.

Test your Knowledge on Concussion
Concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that often affects athletes taking part in high-risk contact sports like football and boxing. It can sometimes result in a premature end to the sporting career of budding athletes. Clear some of your concepts about concussion by taking this quiz.

Other Rutgers authors are Neil Majmundar and Roxanne Nagurka.

Reference:

Is Youth Football Safe? An Analysis of Youth Football Head Impact Data - (https://doi.org/10.1093/neuros/nyz563)

Source-Newswise