Spike in sports-related brain injuries causes alarm

  • By Samuel Adams Bloomberg News
  • Monday, July 15, 2013 2:33pm
  • LifeSports

A surge in sports-related brain injuries among youth is pushing health officials to call for public policy changes after similar safety efforts helped reduce head-trauma deaths from motor vehicle accidents.

A 40 percent drop since 1980 in traumatic brain injury deaths from car crashes can serve as an example for initiatives that target contact sports such as football, according to a report today from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Traumatic brain injuries suffered by people under age 19 from sports and recreation activities rose 60 percent from 2001 to 2009, the CDC said, citing data released earlier.

Lawsuits against the National Football League and the suicides of prominent former professional athletes have created scrutiny of the long-term effects of head injuries suffered on playing fields.

The Institute of Medicine, an advisory panel to U.S. policymakers, began an investigation this year into the risk of sports concussions for players from elementary school age through young adulthood.

While deaths from brain trauma among those ages 15 to 19 have been cut in half from 1999 to 2010, emergency room trips for athletic injuries by those teenagers have greatly increased, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The Atlanta-based agency has begun collaborating with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the NFL and other sports groups to educate coaches and players about how to treat potential on-field trauma or prevent it altogether.

Traumatic brain injuries are caused by collisions or jolts to the head that disrupt normal brain function. Concussions, a mild form of traumatic brain injuries that constitute three quarters of diagnoses, are common within contact sports such as football and lacrosse.

More than 3,000 former players and their families have sued the NFL seeking damages for head injuries, as well as for allegedly concealing data about the long-term dangers of repeated concussions.

The family of linebacker Junior Seau, who committed suicide in May 2012, also sued the league on the contention that brain damage sustained during his 20 seasons drove him to his death.

Including all causes, such as falls and assaults, at least 2.4 million emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or deaths were related to a traumatic brain injury in 2009, the CDC said.

Brain trauma cost an estimated $76.5 billion in direct U.S. medical expenditures and indirect costs such as lost wages and productivity.

Among the general population, falls cause more than 35 percent of traumatic brain injury, though children under 14 and adults over 65 are more susceptible to accidents in this way. Motor vehicle crashes and blunt impact each contribute 17 percent.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.