Tag Archives: NFL

Covering sports concussions: Some takeaways from the #AHCJ16 panel

Photo: Tara Haelle/AHCJNFL free agent Josh Cribbs captivated attendees with his own experiences, talking about the lengths that players would go to conceal possible concussions and game the tests.

Photo: Tara Haelle/AHCJNFL free agent Josh Cribbs captivated attendees with his own experiences, talking about the lengths that players would go to conceal possible concussions and game the tests.

Conversations about concussions, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) have become more common in recent years as many military veterans return with disabling head injuries and the impact of football injuries on the brain gets more scrutiny in medical research.

The recent movie “Concussion,” starring Will Smith, raised even more awareness of the sports side of the issue. The higher profile in the media about sports head injuries, specifically in football, was the focus of a well-attended panel, “Covering the Concussion Crisis: Research and Real Life,” at the Health Journalism 2016 conference last month. Continue reading

NFL to post concussion warning in locker rooms

In The New York Times, football concussion reporter Alan Schwarz examines the content and ramifications of a new warning poster the NFL will be putting in every locker room. An image of the poster can be seen here.

high school tackle

Photo by Eagle102.net via Flickr

The poster lists symptoms that players should look out for, including headaches, confusion, memory problems and feeling more emotional, and warns them not to ignore symptoms.

In addition to strictly medical information — including the most starkly worded warnings yet from the league — the poster reminds players that concussions can also have long-term negative impacts on their families and on the health of those youngsters who idolize pro athletes.

Greg Aiello, a league spokesman, said in an e-mail message that the poster, spearheaded by the league’s new head, neck and spine medical committee and written in collaboration with the players union and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “is intended to present the most current and objective medical information on concussions and will be distributed to the players and clubs in the near future.”

House holds hearing on brain injuries in NFL

The House of Representatives is holding a hearing on “Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries” that is being webcast on C-SPAN.org.

The witness list includes NFL commissioner Roger S. Goodell as well as the director of the players association, team executives, doctors, neurologists, retired players, families of former players and safety advocates.

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