HEAD injuries are a growing concern within sports, with more being done in order to protect those taking part.
According to the UK Parliament statistics, over one million people a year attend A&E with head injuries, with significant numbers stemming from sports related incidents.
As well as this, the UK Research & Innovation team found that almost 50% of people with sports related Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) report symptoms six months later, and repetitive head impacts in sports, can increase the risk of developing dementia by 50%.
The big worry is that these head injuries can start from a young age through children playing sports and not having many precautions in place to prevent long-lasting effects.
In recent years, more steps are being taken in order to protect the safety of players. The “if in doubt, sit them out rule,” has been interested, meaning those suspected of having a concussion are not allowed to continue in playing regardless of it is confirmed or not.
Ken Dzah, Sports and Exercise therapy student at Solent University, has said:
” Head injuries are a serious problem within sport, especially within young people. For younger people, their brains aren’t fully developed, so the impacts from sports can cause problems.”
To find out more about head injuries within sports, you can listen to our podcast here:
