The link between concussions and brain injury might be a hot topic in the NFL, but at the high school level? Apparently not so much. Overall, only about a third of high school athletes, their coaches and parents know that a concussion is a brain injury, according to a new study by Mayo Clinic researchers. They surveyed 115 athletes, 132 parents and 15 coaches at three high schools in Rochester, MN, involved with a variety of sports.
Most people could identify the possible effects of concussion, the study found. Coaches had the most knowledge about how a concussion occurs, when to take an athlete out of a game and the potential effects of repeated head injuries. Athletes did well in knowing the typical symptoms of concussion but were less likely to know how a concussion occurs and the criteria for returning to play. Among parents, those who worked in health care had no greater overall knowledge about concussions than other parents, but they did have a greater awareness of the long-term effects of concussions.