Protecting New York students from sports-related brain injuries

For families in New York, September means a lot of things. It’s the start of a new school year, and many students are busy preparing for tryouts for their sports teams. However, as students focus on getting their game to the highest levels, many parents are focusing on keeping their kids healthy in the process.

Our New York brain injury attorneys have written a few posts about the negative impacts concussions can have on athletes. Now, parents and sports administrators are taking that caution to the next level. In the interest of preventing New York brain injury attorneys and concussions, there are numerous new safeguards in place.

One of the first implementations is a new sports concussion center that recently opened. The center provides base-line testing, and students as young as 10 years old can learn about effects of concussions.

Several middle schools and high schools in the area have also signed up to have their student-athletes receive computerized before-and-after tests. At one school, more than 50 coaches and trainers met with local health experts for a seminar on concussions and other sports-related injuries. Officials that helped lead the seminar are preparing pamphlets to inform students and teachers about the injuries as well.

Thankfully, the awareness and attention to sports-related injuries is bigger than just local efforts. Even the creators of the popular Madden NFL video game are getting involved. This year, the football game is less violent, and it requires players who suffer concussions to sit out the rest of the game.

Source: Buffalo News, “Tackling injury o the high school fields,” Charlie Specht, Aug. 24, 2011