Published April 27, 2016
By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News
A national conversation is currently taking place in the U.S. about concussions and their potential long- and short-term risks, especially for young athletes.
The risk of potential long-term harm to a child’s developing brain from injury is still largely unknown. There are many questions about concussions including: how many can a child safely sustain? Of what severity? And at what age?
The numbers show that Leander ISD has just over 6,000 eligible athletes, and concussion numbers for the current year are up considerably from last year. While in the 2014-15 school year LISD treated 185 concussions, as of the end of March 2016, LISD had treated 216 concussions.
According to the Center for Injury Research and Policy, for high school athletes in 2010, head injuries from soccer outnumbered basketball, baseball, wrestling and softball combined. Football also makes up a large number of cases.
In 2015, Texas Family Physicians evaluated approximately 105 concussions from the greater Austin area. These predominantly included football, volleyball, soccer and lacrosse.
“All sports have a risk of concussion,” said Dr. Martin Molina, a local, family physician at Texas Family Physicians, which has an office in Four Points. Continue reading →