Repetitive Head Injury Syndrome And Its Link With High Impact Sports

It is fair to suggest that we are a nation of sports lovers. In fact even a busy team of Riverside personal injury lawyers like nothing better that to watch a football game on TV or to talk about the Monday night action with their colleagues. However they more than most are probably painfully aware of the problems that playing professional or college football as well as other high impact sports can have on the body, especially when it comes to head trauma.

Even with all the protective gear that players wear there are still many alarming cases of ex players and indeed current ones who suffer from trauma to the head. In fact according to statistics, nearly 300,000 traumatic brain injuries (TBI's) are caused each year in America. Athletes involved in Boxing, Ice Hockey and indeed Football are most at risk. Sadly many of these people who suffer head injuries when playing sport will result in developing some form of permanent damage and can often need ongoing supervision and care, which can prove extremely costly for victims and their families concerned. If you have suffered from, or know someone that has suffered from TBI because of years of playing sport, then it is good to know that by contacting a specialized team of Riverside County personal injury attorneys, there might well be grounds for a compensation claim. A free, no obligation consultation session will explain your rights.

Traumatic brain injury and high school high impact sports

Whilst in most cases severe brain injury may seem somewhat obvious, the same cannot be said for mild head injuries and unfortunately these often go hidden or undetected. They usually come under the category of 'closed head injuries' and as result cannot be seen. Even under a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner (MRIS) mild brain injury is almost virtually impossible to spot. The problem is that doctors are then forced to rely heavily upon the reports of the people with the injuries in order to help. However, players who want to keep playing may simply try to hide their symptoms from their coach. For this reason, players may then be subjected to a SIS (Second Impact Syndrome) or a SIT (Second Impact Trauma). This is a condition in which the brain can rapidly swell after a second impact, before the results of the earlier impact has actually subsided. SIT or SIS is very serious and often leads to death, or at best the person will be severely brain damaged for life. It can occur minutes, hours, days or even weeks after the initial blow to the head as people recover from injuries in different ways. With this in mind, high school teenagers' brain tissue is not fully developed and as a result they are far more likely to suffer a fatal second impact.

TBI in professional athletes

A Riverside personal injury lawyer explains that although the brain tissue of professional athletes will indeed be fully developed, it is fair to say that the massive blows that they will have to suffer are much more powerful. In fact, according to one study, the impact of a blow to the head of a professional player in the NFL is around 98 times more than the force of gravity. On top of this pro footballers are encouraged to return to playing as quickly as possible thus not giving themselves ample time to recover. Alarmingly, according to a study carried out by the University of North Carolina, approximately 61% of pro footballers have experienced concussion at some time or other in their careers, with a good majority of these going on to say that they have experienced it on many occasions.

Prevention

Sports coaches are now recognizing the seriousness of head injuries in sport and as a result are taking more responsibility for this. They are monitoring the players more closely in a game and are looking for the signs of concussion. They are now duty bound to make sure that any player has experienced full recovery before returning to play after the event of a head injury. Any coaches who do not abide by these laws are to be held accountable. If you feel that you have been a victim of traumatic brain injury through the negligence of others, including your coach, then be rest assured that a Riverside personal injury lawyer who has a proven track record in dealing with such cases can assist.

Playing sport is great for that competitive spirit and is clearly a good way of keeping fit. In most cases the risk of injury goes with the territory. However that doesn't mean that an individual has to suffer in silence. On the contrary, when serious injuries occur through no fault of your own, then a team of personal injury attorneys Riverside are on hand to explain your rights.