With a rise in the incidence of concussions in youth sports, the spotlight is creating a need for more research, awareness, and education. Toward that end, the Associated Press has a story about the U.S. Soccer Federation banning "heading" …show more content…
“We are treating kids much younger for concussions and it is clearly not a good thing. Anything to help mitigate the inherent dangers of a sport is very much welcomed. Additionally, I think parents these days are pushing kids at too young of an age to use their head and play when they do not feel 100%. When we see these kids, we also make sure to work with the parents and educate them about recognizing the signs of a concussion, safety measures and how to mitigate a head injury, when possible, and the potential long-term health risks associated with concussions.”
The key elements of this initiative include:
Improve concussion awareness and education among youth coaches, referees, parents and players
Implement more uniform concussion management and return-to-play protocols for youth players suspected of having suffered a concussion
Modify the substitution rules to insure such rules do not serve as an impediment to the evaluation of players who may have suffered a concussion during games
Eliminate heading for children 10 and under and limit heading in practice for children between the ages of 11 and