NationalHSFootball.com A study released by Tulane University has put more distance between the correlation of neurocognitive function and years of playing high school football.
Study author, Dr. Gregory Stewart.
Lead author on the study, Gregory Steward, MD, said that the findings were counter to the current message being reported.
“The correlation between the number of years of football participation and the performance on the digit symbol substitution test does not support the hypothesis that participation in a collision sport negatively affects neurocognitive function,” he said. “The implication is that the playing of football is not in and of itself detrimental.”
The study was based on retroactive data obtained between August 1998 and August 2001 from 1,289 New Orleans high school football players with only 4% of the athletes in the study having suffered a sports-related concussion.
The Tulane University release notes indicated that the age was positively related to performance on the digital symbol substitutions (DSS) taks, but years of football activity drew no association between the two.
This study becomes the second in the last four months that has come out in opposition to the current message that football and concussions have direct ties to long-term cognitive effects.
In January, Sandra Chapman, Ph.D., presented the results of her study that concluded that while head injuries are of serious concern the message being spread is not based in reality.
“What’s being touted is ahead of the evidence,” she said at the time.
“Youth football’s benefits to health and well-being far, far exceed the risks.”
Both Stewart and Chapman were clear in saying that concussion recovery time and education is still paramount but that the simple connect-the-dots between football and longterm side effects like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) may not be accurate.
“(We should) reinforce the need to educate high school and college athletes to better understand the importance of being honest about their (concussion) symptoms so that they can be treated appropriately,” Stewart said. “Many kids play with symptoms that they don’t necessarily equate with a concussion.”
Education of concussion safety has been legislated by more than half of the state associations across the country.
The state of Indiana became the first to sign into law training for high school coaches and assistants with Senate Bill 222 going in to effect July 1.
On the national level, USAFOotball has introduced the HeadsUp program for training coaches across the country.
In its first year of national awareness the program was taught to 2,800 youth league and 90,000 coaches.
Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier head coach Steve Specht is a certified Master Trainer for the HeadsUp program and said that training coaches is going to help player safety.
“Educating coaches about concussion recognition and response, proper technique on the practice field and translating that to the game, as well as proper equipment fitting will all help make the game safer,” he said. “We are all trying to make this game safer for kids and limiting their risk for longterm injury.”
With the new findings as well as increased awareness the hope to to make the game safer for players of all ages.
“The benefits are so much greater than the risks,” Chapman said. “Just because (a young athlete) won’t play in the NFL doesn’t mean don’t let him play football.”
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