The prominent doctor who inspired the movie "Concussion" told Channel 2 Action News someday, parents allowing their children to play football will be considered child abuse.
Hard hits are a part of football, and they can lead to brain injuries, including concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
CTE is a degenerative condition linked to repeated head injuries. It is only diagnosed after death by studying the brain.
Dr. Bennett Omalu was the first doctor to discover CTE in an NFL player and his research inspired the movie “Concussion.”
Channel 2's Zach Klein went to California to meet with Omalu and look into the serious concerns about concussions in young football players. The steps being taken to protect kids, Monday on Channel 2 Action News at 5 and 6.
There has been increased concern about the dangers of football and concussions, but how does it compare to other sports?
According to an American Journal of Sports Medicine study, football has more concussions than any other sport.
The study looked at high school athletes during competitions and practices from the 2008 to 2010 school years.
According to the study, the five sports with the highest concussion rates per 10,000 athlete exposures were:
Football – 6.4%
Boys’ ice hockey – 5.4%
Boys’ lacrosse – 4.0%
Girls’ lacrosse – 3.5%
Girls’ soccer – 3.4%
According to the CDC, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause a wide range of functional short- or long-term changes that affect thinking, sensation, language and emotion.
The CDC said about 75 percent of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild TBI.
Repeated mild TBIs over an extended period can result in cumulative neurological and cognitive deficits, while repeated mild TBIs over a short period (hours, days or weeks) can be catastrophic or fatal.
Cox Media Group
