Keep Your Head Straight When Playing Fall Sports

School has begun again for most Lowcountry kids, and that means youth sports are back in full swing.

For all the benefits sports provide – exercise, camaraderie, life lessons – it’s also important to remember to play it safe. Recent research indicates that heightened awareness about safety – particularly among young athletes – is leading to far fewer injuries.

A study of sports/recreation injuries reported throughout the US in 2000, 2005 and 2010 found that injuries declined each five years, for the top 8 most common injuries. The greatest decreases were seen in bicycling, roller sports and trampolines. That’s all good news.

The bad news: the National Institutes of Health researchers saw a dramatic increase in soccer injuries – particularly among kids aged 10 to 14 – over that study period.

Meanwhile, according to a recent World Cup injury wrap up, it’s clear concussions are growing in frequency among soccer players.

As the article notes, more high school soccer players had concussions in 2010 than basketball, baseball, wrestling, and softball players combined. And for the 2011-12 school year, concussions represented 34 percent of all injuries in boys’ soccer competitions and 30 percent in girls’ soccer.

Much has also been reported about football-related head injuries. With advances in equipment technology allowing players of all ages to take the hardest hits, young brains are exposed to life-altering injuries.

The bottom line is this: it takes a village to raise a youth athlete. And it takes concerned, engaged adults to help protect the fragile brains and bodies of those athletes. Precious cargo deserves the utmost care. The attorneys at Steinberg Law Firm have experience dealing with concussions and traumatic brain injuries, and know how important it is to educate young minds about preventing head injuries. For more information on sports injuries and legal issues, contact the firm at 843-720-2800.