Facebook Pixel

Young Female Athletes at Greater Risk for Concussions

By HERWriter Guide
 
Rate This
concussions pose greater risk for young female athletes iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Athletes' injuries have come to the forefront of parents attention in recent years, due to what looks like an increase in injuries that cause concussions.

Studies have shown the long term effects of such injuries. Some say concussions may have contributed to the suicides of several professional football players.

One of the main concerns is that these concussions are not always diagnosed immediately.

A child returns to her sport with an undiagnosed concussion, and what can happen is what's known as second impact syndrome. With this syndrome, any kind of bump or contact with another player can cause a seizure.

This seizure is as a result of the previous concussion, as opposed to the impact just received. Memory can also be impacted.

The American Journal of Sports Medicine reports on research this month that shows young female athletes are more negatively affected by concussions than their male counter parts.

The study found that:

"Female athletes performed worse than male athletes on visual memory and reported more symptoms after concussion. High school athletes performed worse than college athletes on verbal and visual memory. High school athletes were still impaired on verbal memory 7 days after concussion compared with collegiate athletes." (1)

The younger the athlete (those studied were age 14 and up) the worse she fared after a concussion. Researchers believe the reason females are more affected than males is due to anatomical differences and that even younger girls should be included in further studies.

The New York Times article featuring this study from AJSM stated that concussions affect about 1.6 million athletes every year in America. And they are increasingly seen in female athletes as they progress in sports and participation increases.

Parents are urged to seek care if their daughters are injured in an activity, and to remain watchful in the ensuing weeks for any sign of brain injury. Their daughters need to be instructed to inform their parents if they believe they've been hurt.

SOURCES:

1. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. The Role of Age and Sex in Symptoms, Neurocognitive Performance, and Postural Stability in Athletes After Concussion. Web. Wednesday May 16, 2012. http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/04/26/0363546512444554.abstrac...

2. The New York Times. Well Section. Fitness. "Concussions May Be More Severe in Girls and Young Athletes". Web. Wednesday May 16. 2012. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/concussions-may-be-more-severe-...

Reviewed May 17, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

Add a Comment1 Comments

Marielaina Perrone DDS
Empowered
Blogger

This really is becoming an epidemic. The data is just piling on and none of it gives a positive spin. I am not sure of the answer but we need to do something quick to limit these injuries as well as diagnose them better.

http://www.drperrone.com

May 22, 2012 - 10:49am

This Comment

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Add a Comment
SusanC
Supporter
HERWriter Guide View Profile Send Message

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.