New Jersey Proposes Stricter Head Injury Guidelines

High school athletes in New Jersey may have further protection from the long term effects of a traumatic brain injury

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The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) has proposed a new regulation that will require athletes who sustain a concussion to get a certified physician's approval before returning to the sport.

The NJSIAA has stated that schools that do not comply with the new regulation would face serious sanctions, including possible dismissal from the state athletic association. Although it may remove athletes from play for a short period, the new regulation is designed to protect the health of the student athletes.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI), including concussions, are serious injuries that currently do not have a cure. Although concussions are one of many types of TBIs, frequent head injuries can make individuals more concussion prone, which may impact his or her health as they grow older.

Sports-related injuries impact younger athletes whose brains are still in the development stages thus, these injuries can ultimately affect an individual's cognitive and emotional development.

Brain injuries occur in close to 20 percent of high school students nationwide each year.

Furthermore, the regulation will require coaches, trainers and the athletes themselves to participate in annual training seminars to educate about head injuries, including symptom recognition. Parents will also receive educational material prior to the start of each sports season.

Additionally, athletes who sustain a head injury will not be allowed to return to the sport for at least a week without exhibiting symptoms. This regulation is similar to a recently updated National Football Association guideline that prevents athletes from returning to a game after sustaining a head injury.

The NFL's change of policy in addition with several high profile brain injuries sustained by Olympic athletes has shed light on the risk of permanent damage from a head injury.

New Jersey is not alone in protecting student athletes from the effects of a head injury. The Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act or ConTACT Act would establish a grant program so states have the financial resources available to prevent, diagnose and treat sports-related concussions and other head injuries in school sports.

The Center for Disease Control reports that a traumatic brain injury occurs every 23 seconds in the United States, some of which are serious enough to end a promising student athlete's career indefinitely before they graduate high school.

The NJSIAA is expected to adopt the regulation at the end of April 2010.

by: Katie Kelley

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