subject: New Jersey Head Injury Guidelines Aim To Protect High School Athletes [print this page] Student athletes in New Jersey may be further protected from the long term effects of a brain injury.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) has proposed a new regulation that will require athletes who sustain a concussion to get a certified physician's approval before returning to the sport.
Schools that do not comply with the NJSIAA regulation could face serious sanctions, including the risk of dismissal from the state athletic association. Although it may remove athletes from play for a short period, the new regulation is designed to protect the health of the student athletes.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI), including concussions, are serious injuries that currently do not have a cure. Frequent head injuries can make individuals, athletes especially more susceptible to concussions, which can greatly impact an individual's health as they age.
Student athlete brains are still in the development stage, thus a sports-related injury can ultimately affect his or her cognitive and emotional development.
Close to 20 percent of high school athletes experience a brain injury each year.
Furthermore, trainers, coaches and athletes will be required to attend annual head injury training that focuses on symptom recognition. Parents will also receive educational material prior to the start of each sports season.
Under the new guidelines, students will not be allowed to return to the sport for at least a week without exhibiting symptoms from a prior head injury. This regulation is similar to a recently updated National Football Association guideline that prevents athletes from returning to a game after sustaining a head injury.
The NFL's change of policy in addition with several high profile brain injuries sustained by Olympic athletes has shed light on the risk of permanent damage from a head injury.
New Jersey is one of many nationwide efforts to protect student athletes from brain injury effects. The Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act or ConTACT Act would establish a grant program so states have the financial resources available to prevent, diagnose and treat sports-related concussions and other head injuries in school sports.
The Center for Disease Control reports that a traumatic brain injury occurs every 23 seconds in the United States, some of which are serious enough to end a promising student athlete's career indefinitely before they graduate high school.
The NJSIAA is expected to adopt the regulation at the end of April 2010.
by: Katie Kelley
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