Brain Injury Awareness Month

MARCH IS BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH – The theme this year is sports and concussions – two of my favorite passions . 

A nationwide education and advocacy campaign is being launched in March with radio, print and public service announcements.  Our goal is to introduce legislation to train coaches and protect youth athletes.    

A concussion is a brain injury. The Brain Injury Association believes coaches of every school athletic team and every extracurricular athletic activity should be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of brain injury, including concussions and second impact syndrome. They also believe young athletes who appear to have sustained a concussion should have written authorization by a health care professional before returning to play. 

A concussion is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Most concussions occur without a loss of consciousness and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a lack of proper diagnosis and management of concussion may result in a serious long-term consequences, or risk of coma or death. Signs and symptoms may be noticeable immediately, or it may take days or weeks before they are present.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the United State each year. Of that estimate U.S. emergency departments treat approximately 135,000 sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, among children ages 5 to 18.

Currently, there are at least 5.3 million Americans living with a disability because of a brain injury and the estimated lifetime costs of brain injury (including direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity) totaled $60 billion in 2000. Every 23 seconds a traumatic brain injury occurs, and in the next year, an average of 1.4 million Americans will sustain a traumatic brain injury.

It is important we protect our young athletes and even non-athletes J 

Parents – make sure your kids are protected as sports are getting more intense these days and the pressure to have kids go back into the game sooner than their bodies and brains are ready.  I love sports; however, I know the lasting affects of a brain injury – I don’t want anyone to have to live with these symptoms.  

I’m heading to Washington, DC next week to raise these issues to our legislators.  March 17^th is Brain Injury Awareness Day at the Capital.  

If you wish material to support this education and awareness efforts, click on the Brain Injury Association of Americas web site http://www.biausa.org/biam.htm or you can contact the Brain Injury Association of America at 703.761.0750, ext. 622.

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