All Articles by Lindsey Barton Straus, JD

Not every young athlete who suffers a concussion playing sports will exhibit signs and/or symptoms of concussion immediately after injury, so parents always need to be on the lookout for a delayed onset of symptoms, says a top sports concussion expert.

Parents know that food offered at youth sports concession stands is unhealthy and are skeptical that real change is possible, but there may be more support for more healthy concession stand fare than some realize.

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) warns athletes and their parents to be skeptical of claims that products such as head bands, supplements or mouth guards reduce the incidence of concussion because none supported by scientific research and peer-reviewed studies.

The food and beverages available to and consumed by youth athletes when they participate in organized sports is often unhealthy, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota.

A week of strict cognitive and physical rest significantly improves performance of concussed athletes on neurocognitive tests and decreases severity of post-concussion symptoms, a first-of-its-kind study finds. The beneficial effects of the week of rest were seen whether the rest came soon after a concussion or even weeks to months later.

The King-Devick Test, a simple two-minute test of rapid eye movement, is an accurate "remove-from-play" sideline concussion assessment tool finds a new study by researchers in New Zealand. The rugby study confirms the value of the K-D test as an accurate and reliable method for quick assessment of concussion.

Because adolescent athletes assess their recovery from concussions based on only a small subset of potential symptoms, such self-reports should not be used as the sole factor in return-to-play decisions, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who urge that neurocognitive testing results also be considered by clinicians.

In an effort to promote safer play and minimize the risk of head, neck and spine injuries, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has clarified the rules on checking from behind in high school hockey.  The changes seek to stem the rising tide of violence in high school hockey, and come in the wake of several highly publicized catastrophic injuries to players after illegal checks from behind, but is better enforcement the simpler, and better, answer?

Nine football helmets have earned five stars in the 2014 Virginia Tech STARHelmet Ratings,^TM but experts, including the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, say the results should be viewed with caution in light of a host of methodological limitations.

The number of children diagnosed with concussion at hospital emergency rooms has more than doubled over the last decade while the number of admissions after ER treatment declined, says the preliminary results of a 2012 study. The data suggest efforts to increase awareness of the dangers of traumatic brain injury are working.