Doctors and coaches now treat brain concussions more seriously than before.

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner is supporting legislation that better protects young athletes from head injuries. This law is for the protection of young athletes under the age of 18. 

The law has already been passed in Washington State and Goodell wants it to be passed in 43 other states including Utah.

High School sports are risky business for young athletes. There is a particular danger for serious head concussions that can leave permanent, lifetime injuries. The CDC estimates there are between 1.6 million and 3.8 million sport and recreation concussions each year. Most of them happening at the high school level.

“The younger you are, the more immature the brain is and less developed, so the more susceptible they are to concussions,” says Dr. Mark Rosen, team doctor at Bingham High School.  He suggests that coaches sit out players until their injury can be evaluated by a physician.

Dr. Joyce Soprano, emergency room physician at Primary Children’s Medical Center. “We know that the young brain takes longer to heal than even in a college-level athlete.”

Utah High School Activities Association has adopted a set of guidelines for all sports for the next school year. These guidelines are similar to the new law in Washington.

The Lystedt Law is named after Zachery Lystedt who suffered a terrible concussion in a junior high school football game. His disabilities are permanent, but were preventable at the time if coaches had followed sports guidelines for head injuries in students.

Here is the outline of that law:

• Youth athletes who are suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury be removed from play. “When in doubt, sit them out.”
• School districts to work with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) to develop information and policies on educating coaches, youth athletes and parents about the nature and risk of concussion, including the dangers of returning to practice or competition after a concussion or head injury.
• All student athletes and their parents/guardians sign an information sheet about concussion and head injury prior to the youth athlete’s initiating practice at the start of each season.
• Youth athletes who have been removed from play receive written medical clearance prior to returning to play from a licensed health-care provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussion.
• Private, nonprofit youth sports associations wanting to use publicly owned playfields comply with this law.

This legislation should be passed in Utah. It is for the safety of our children. We want them to play sports and we want them to play sports safely. For more information we suggest you use these links:

Brain Injury Association of Utah:  http://sjlaw.info/1c

KSL story:  http://sjlaw.info/1d