Attention All High School Football Coaches — Know the Warning Signs of Concussion

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012

Here at SportsEddy, we are pretty passionate about the game of football. Our Colorado football camps are no-contact, eliminating much of the risk of injury in this aggressive sport. So we were saddened to see a tragic article in the news recently, about a high school football player in Texas who suffered so many concussions that he is disabled at the tender age of 20. He is currently suing his coach and his former high school, claiming his high school football coach and school district showed "no concern" after any of his many head injuries, leading to his permanently debilitated condition.

Frankly, this article is pretty painful to read, and it makes us wonder how much of this type of thing is happening to our young athletes around the country. According to the lawsuit, "the School District has covered up the facts surrounding plaintiff's injuries; it has refused to investigate or appropriately respond to the report of a serious injury; it has retaliated against an injured child, it has branded his family as a problem for the School District; and it has refused to alter its educational services in any meaningful way to accommodate the injury that Coach Woerner and other members of the football program caused."

However, when reading the account of what happened, one really has to wonder why the parents of this child continued to let him play, when his physical condition was so poor... Three physicians have stated that they believe this young man received 30 - 40 concussions and sub-concussive hits while on the field.

Without going into all the gory details, what we want to point out is that everyone shares in the responsibility for keeping our kids as safe and healthy as possible, when playing high school football. The coaches, the school, and the parents share equal responsibility. We sincerely hope that this is an isolated incident.

Here are the warning signs of concussion:

• ~  Losing consciousness after head trauma of any kind


• ~  Confusion or blurred vision


• ~  Headache


• ~  Nausea, dizziness or vomiting


• ~  Short term memory loss, such as having no memory of the actual injury


• ~  Repeating a question or other remark over and over, such as "What happened to me," even after being told the answer.

• The athlete experiences any of the above symptoms after striking their head

Go to an emergency department by ambulance in the following situations:

• ~  If the athlete loses consciousness for longer than two minutes


• ~  If the injured party is knocked out for a minute, comes to, but then passes out again


• ~  If the athlete vomits more than one time


• ~  If the athlete shows signs of confusion, restlessness or agitation that lingers for more than a couple of minutes


• ~  If the athlete shows severe drowsiness, weakness, or inability to walk


• ~  The athlete experiences any seizures or convulsions


• ~  The athlete's speech is slurred


• ~  If the injured athlete does not regain consciousness after two minutes, or the injury is very severe, it's important to prevent movement of the head and neck, because spinal injuries may be present.  Call 911 immediately in such a situation.

Click here for more information about concussions.