Concussions, Head Injuries, Football Season & Cheerleading — they all go together

This may sound hokey, but I’m a believer in “signs.”  If we pay attention to things, someone upstairs might be trying to tell us something.

Today, the “signs” are saying I need to write  something about the increasing problems of head injuries and concussions that we’re seeing not only in football, but also in cheerleading.  Why do I say that?  One of the articles that caught my eye in this morning’s Austin American Statesman was a story about the increasing number of concussion and head-injury related lawsuits by former NFL players suing the NFL and helmet manufacturers, primarily Riddel. 

And then, one of the first telephone calls I received this morning was from a safety advocate in Arkansas who called me asking about head injury issues in football and cheerleading.

At this point, I’ve written fairly extensively about the dangers faced by football players and that one way to help minimize that danger is making sure your kids have a proper helmet.  You can read some of those pieces below:

• Protect Your Child From Concussions With A Proper Football Helmet
• Head Injury Training A Step In The Right Direction For Youth Sports
• What You Can Learn About Head Injuries From The NFL
• Head Injuries May Lead To Dementia & Alzheimers
• Brain Injuries From Sports Are More Common Than People Think

However, I haven’t written as much about the dangers of cheerleading.  In fact, cheerleading is one of the leading causes of injuries to young girls.  I sent the safety advocate links to a few resources about the problem.  The articles included:

• Cheerleading Can Be Brain Damaging
• Brain Injuries In Cheerleading
• Cheerleading Concussions and Brain Injuries Are Receiving More Attention
• Cheerleading Is A Leading Cause of Injury To Young Girls

I hope this information is useful to someone and helps protect a kid or two.