Health & Safety

Scores on a test commonly used to assess concussions on the sport sideline vary by an athlete's gender and concussion history, reports a new study.  Establishing an individual baseline for each youth athlete in contact and collision sports is therefore critical to proper management of a subsequent concussion and the timing for safe return to play.

The position of the foot just before ground contact during running and walking may put people at risk for ankle sprains, according to a new study in the June 2011 online edition of the American Journal of Sports Medicine which found that people who have a history of repetitive ankle sprains demonstrated lower clearance heights between their feet and the floor during running, and pointed their toes down more during walking.

A computerized neuropsychological test commonly used to evaluate sports-related concussions misclassified up to 29 percent of healthy participants in a recent test by a University of Texas at Arlington kinesiology researcher.

Here are some important tips parents need to know about preventing eye injuries and first-aid for eye injuries if they occur.

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) has awarded $1.1 million in research grants to advance the science of sports medicine - specifically related to concussion.

July is Fireworks Eye Safety Awareness Month, and through its EyeSmart^TM campaign the American Academy of Ophthalmology reminds parents to leave fireworks to professionals.

In early June 2010 tragedy struck a baseball field in Arizona when a 13-year-old Little Leaguer trying to bunt was struck in the chest. He took a few steps towards first base, collapsed, and died the next morning. Getting hit by a pitch is to be expected when playing baseball. Dying is not. What killed the Arizona boy? A rare condition called commotio cordis.

On June 16, 2011, North Carolina governor Bev Perdue signed the Gfeller-Waller Concussion Awareness Act, adding the state to the list of twenty-three states that have enacted strong youth sports concussion safety laws since the first such law was passed in May 2009.

The Vermont law, signed by Governor Pete Shumlin, on May 31, 2011, includes only two of the three components considered essential (inform and educate coaches, youth athletes and their parents/guardians about the nature and risk of concussions and require them to sign a concussion information form; and require a youth athlete to be cleared by a licensed health care professional trained in the evaluation and management of concussions before returning to play or practice) and not the third (requiring the immediate removal of athletes from games or practices if they are suspected to have suffered a concussion), it is considered a "weak" youth sports concussion safety law.

On April 14, 2011, Nebraska governor Dave Heineman signed the state's youth sports concussion safety bill  (L.B. 260) into law.  The Concussion Awareness Act will take effect July 11, 2012.