One city weighs action on student athletes with possible concussions

Concussions among student athletes are on the rise, as are concerns that repeated injuries could have serious long-term effects. But less clear are the steps schools and communities should take in protecting children who play sports from such injuries.

Chicago, for example, is weighing a new rule. This Chicago Tribune story explains: “Student athletes at Chicago schools who show symptoms of a concussion wouldn’t be able to return to their sports without permission from a medical professional under a measure approved Wednesday by two City Council committees.” Here’s the full story.

Last November, the American Academy of Neurology issued these guidelines for any student athlete suspected of having a concussion.

And here’s what a Los Angeles Times Opinion piece had to say about children and sports injuries:

“As helpful as full healing is, though, it doesn’t solve the inherent problem of multiple concussions, usually defined as three or more. People who get one concussion are more likely to suffer another; researchers believe some people are more prone to the head injury. And none of the new rules addresses the unnerving discovery that even younger athletes — ages 8 to 13 — have increasingly shown up at emergency rooms with concussions.”