HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Top-of-Head Concussions More Severe

As we head into the start of the new school year, many young people will begin signing up for the football team. Though team sports are a great way for kids to boost their self-esteem and increase physical activity, there are certain risks involved with contact sports, including concussions. Now, a recent study from the American Academy of Pediatrics investigates how the location of impact could affect concussion severity. The new study suggests concussions that arise from impacts to the top of the head are more likely to make young athletes lose consciousness. Prior to this study, very little research had focused on how location of impact on the head could yield different concussion outcomes. The data revealed that more football players whose concussions resulted from top-of-head impacts lost consciousness than those whose impacts were located elsewhere on the head. In detail, 8% of players with top-of-head concussions experienced loss of consciousness, compared with only 3.5% of those with impacts on other areas.