High School Sports Injuries and Concussions
How often do you think high school sports injuries and concussions occur? Whether you have a child who plays in a team sport or not, sports injuries, especially concussions, are a lot more common than you might think.
Furthermore, concussions don’t just happen in so-called “contact” sports like football, lacrosse, hockey, and baseball. You’d be surprised at how many concussion patients I see in my chiropractic practice from sports like horseback riding, soccer, and basketball. That’s why I interviewed Bart Saling, Co-Head Coach, Varsity Girls Basketball, Terra Linda High School here in San Rafael about high school sports injuries and concussions.
High School Basketball – What’s Changed Over the Years
“When I played ball at San Marin in Novato in the 1970s, we didn’t know what a concussion was. If you got elbowed in the head by an opposing player, hit the backboard or was knocked into the bleachers, you just wiped away the blood, shook your head to clear the cobwebs, and kept playing. Fortunately, we’re a lot safer and much more informed today,” Saling told me.
High Schools are Better Prepared for Sports Concussions
“The Marin Athletic League now encourages each school to have its own trainer for high school sports injuries and concussions. For Terra Linda, she attends each home game, but during away games, that home team’s trainer is on hand. This program is in partnership with Marin General Hospital and their responsibility is to help us determine the consequences of any injury that the players receive during a practice or a game.”
“I believe all coaches have to go through certification training. We discuss certain symptoms of different athletic injuries–one of which is concussions–to recognize the warning signs.”
Marin High School Basketball Player Suffers Concussion
“My daughter, Taylor Saling, who was the league’s top scorer this season and is a graduating senior on the Girls Varsity Basketball Team at Terra Linda had a sports injury concussion a few months ago. She was going for a loose ball against two other players. The three of them collided and her head hit on the hardwood as she was falling backwards. So she received a significant hit,” Saling shared with me about his own daughter.
“Immediately, she had dilated eyes, nausea, disorientation, lack of attention, and a headache. It was clear that she had a concussion.”
Coach Saling and the Terra Linda High School team followed the State of California’s protocol for a situation like Taylor suffered.
• She couldn’t play for at least 7 days and had to be under the care of a doctor.
• She had limited use to electronics or reading.
• She just had to lay quietly in bed, and be woken up a few times the first night to make sure there was no brain trauma.
“Then, there was no school for two days and no homework for four days. She couldn’t practice or play. She had no physical activity and she had a follow-up phone interview every other day with the doctor.”
“At the end of eight days, everything was OK, so she got a signed letter from the doctor, and could then resume light exercises. But if any symptoms reoccurred, she would go back to step one!”
How Chiropractic Care Can Help Treat High School Sports Injuries and Concussions
I see many patients throughout the year with sports injuries, concussions and mild traumatic brain injury.
Many head injuries and concussions respond well to a treatment plan that includes chiropractic adjusting, cranial therapy, nutritional support and lifestyle counseling. Having both personal and professional experience with this issue, I can be your guide through the process.
If you happen to have received a high school sports injury or concussion, please let me know that fact when you’re scheduling your first visit. Remember to tell us that you’re seeking treatment for a head injury. We’ll then email you some additional forms to complete at your convenience before you arrive.