Health News
In the wake of concussions sidelining high-profile National Football League players such as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller, public awareness has grown about the detrimental effects a concussion has on the physical and mental well-being of athletes.
Concussions don?t just affect high-profile professional athletes, but student athletes as well. This has led to a call from doctors, parents and coaches from across the nation for state governments to implement legislation for improved safety and educational standards regarding how concussions are diagnosed and treated.
Maryland is one of a number of states considering such legislation. Legislators in both the House of Delegates and Senate have introduced bills that will protect student athletes from the dangerous effects of concussions.
The House of Delegates bill (HB 858) would require a student athlete to be removed from practice or play following a suspected concussion; he or she will only be allowed to return after clearance by a licensed health care provider. It would also require the Maryland State Department of Education to develop an awareness and training program for coaches, school personnel, student-athletes and parents/guardians. Additionally, a student athlete and parent/guardian would sign an information sheet and acknowledgment statement before participating in a sport. The Senate bill (SB 771) has similar language.
LifeBridge Health has joined the NFL, the Brain Injury Association of Maryland and other organizations in support of this legislation.
Kevin Crutchfield, M.D., a neurologist with at the Sandra & Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute at LifeBridge Health, spoke in support of the legislation at a hearing last week in Annapolis.
?We need the concussion bills passed to protect the children of Maryland today, while we accelerate our education efforts around the state regarding the dangers of athletic participation with an injured brain,? he said.
Crutchfield is director of the Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program at the Brain & Spine Institute. He is considered one of the nation?s leading experts on the effects of concussions on athletes. He serves on the NFL Player Association?s return-to play committee and as an independent neurologist for the NFL?s Baltimore Ravens.
Both Maryland bills are expected to go to a vote in the next few weeks.
-Noel Lloyd
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Health News
Proposed Maryland Legislation to Protect Student Athletes from the Dangerous Effects of Concussions
In the wake of concussions sidelining high-profile National Football League players such as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller, public awareness has grown about the detrimental effects a concussion has on the physical and mental well-being of athletes.
Concussions don?t just affect high-profile professional athletes, but student athletes as well.
Each year, U.S. emergency departments treat an estimated 135,000 sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, among children ages 5 to 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Maryland is one of a number of states considering such legislation. Legislators in both the House of Delegates and Senate have introduced bills that will protect student athletes from the dangerous effects of concussions.
The House of Delegates bill (HB 858) would require a student athlete to be removed from practice or play following a suspected concussion; he or she will only be allowed to return after clearance by a licensed health care provider. It would also require the Maryland State Department of Education to develop an awareness and training program for coaches, school personnel, student-athletes and parents/guardians. Additionally, a student athlete and parent/guardian would sign an information sheet and acknowledgment statement before participating in a sport. The Senate bill (SB 771) has similar language.
LifeBridge Health has joined the NFL, the Brain Injury Association of Maryland and other organizations in support of this legislation.
Kevin Crutchfield, M.D., a neurologist with at the Sandra & Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute at LifeBridge Health, spoke in support of the legislation at a hearing last week in Annapolis.
?We need the concussion bills passed to protect the children of Maryland today, while we accelerate our education efforts around the state regarding the dangers of athletic participation with an injured brain,? he said.
Crutchfield is director of the Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program at the Brain & Spine Institute. He is considered one of the nation?s leading experts on the effects of concussions on athletes. He serves on the NFL Player Association?s return-to play committee and as an independent neurologist for the NFL?s Baltimore Ravens.
Both Maryland bills are expected to go to a vote in the next few weeks.
-Noel Lloyd
- Effects Of Concussions Outlast Symptoms, Uk Prof Finds; Another Study Says They Affect Thinking Of Teenagers More Than Others
A University of Kentucky assistant professor has found that the effects of a concussion may last longer than the symptoms, a finding that could influence how and when athletes are allowed to get back into a game. Scott Livingston (UK photo), director...
- Concussions: More Than A Knock On The Head
Two or more athletes collide on a football field. One hits the ground hard suffering a head impact. The athlete gets up, shakes it off and continues to play. Not always the wise thing to do. ?I often say that football is not a contact sport, it is a collision...
- Keeping Your Head: The Most Dangerous Games
by Mark Huslage, LCSW-C, CBIST Coordinator of Brain Injury Programs, LifeBridge Health As stories like this show us, emergency room visits are rising for concussions among student athletes. While we often focus on the risks of football, that's only...
- Kevin Crutchfield, M.d., Named To Nfl Committee
Kevin Crutchfield, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program at the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute of LifeBridge Health, has been appointed to the National Football League Players Association Concussion and...
- Sports-related Concussions Pose Serious Risk
by Kevin E. Crutchfield, M.D., Director, Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program, Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute With the school sports season gearing up, remember that sports-related concussions are a risk for athletes. Concussion...