CHI St.Vincent
IMPORTANT FOR ALL ATHLETES
Participation in sports builds important character traits such as perseverance and commitment and conveys to children the value of hard work and fair play. All sports come with some risk, though, and recent attention has focused on the causes and treatment of sportsrelated head injuries.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 400,000 sports-related head injuries are treated annually in U.S. emergency rooms. Dr. Ali Krisht, director of the Arkansas Neuroscience Institute at CHI St. Vincent, noted that there is always a possibility of injury, but athletes can implement measures to improve their safety.
“All contact sports have risks,” Krisht said. “You can have concussions, and you can have major injuries, but overall, there is a good amount of protection now for athletes during contact sports. Research and technology will continue evolving to help better protect our athletes.”
Experts such as Krisht have said there are several ways that coaches, school administrators and players can work to help athletes reduce sportsrelated head injuries.
First, in all competitive sports leagues, officials should enforce rules that prohibit the striking of another athlete in the head; using the head or helmet to make contact with another athlete; or intentionally colliding with an opponent whose head is unprotected.
Athletes should be encouraged by coaches and leaders to report possible concussions or head injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that seven in 10 young athletes have played with concussion symptoms, many fearing that not doing so may put their position on the team in jeopardy or change what their teammates or coaches think of them. Concussion symptoms include a headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, confusion and nausea.
Coaches who think a player may have a concussion should immediately remove the athlete from play and keep him or her from re-entering competition until cleared by a health care provider.
For more information about head injuries and the Arkansas Neuroscience Institute, visit www.CHIStVincent.com.
The Arkansas Neuroscience Institute is a destination neuroscience institute specializing in advanced treatment of neurological issues, education and research. The institute will relocate later this year from the CHI St. Vincent Infirmary campus in Little Rock to CHI St. Vincent North in Sherwood.