Sports-related accidents are one of the leading causes of brain injuries among young Americans today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, more than 173,000 children and teens under age 18 are treated in emergency rooms for a concussion or traumatic brain injury that was sustained while playing sports.
Now, researchers in North Carolina are investigating what the long-term effects of a concussion or brain injury could be. Reports from WRAL Sports Fan state football players from two Winston-Salem high schools will undergo MRIs to collect images of their brains. The players will also wear sensors in their helmets that will gather information about the impact of each hit the player sustains during games and practices. The raw data that is accumulated can then be compared over an extended period of time to see what kind of damage hard blows to the head are doing to the brains of the participating players.
Those involved say they hope the study will be able to help better protect players from the dangers of a brain injury in the future.
Protecting young athletes from the serious risks a brain injury can pose is important to each of the North Carolina personal injury attorneys with HensonFuerst and we’re hopeful this particular study will provide data that will help achieve the goal of preventing brain injuries on our state’s athletic fields.
