So does anyone now feel nervous to put their younger ds in football, with all the concussion talk?

[Momof3littles]

Yes, this is part of why they are concerned about youth recreational sports (esp. football)-because the coaches are lots of times just dads that are volunteering, not qualified to recognize or know how to prevent injuries.

But to take that further, even with training, I don't feel most high school coaches are very good at identifying concussions. Look at the data on when an ATC is present and when they are not. Then, add to the mix that this new info coming out on the seriousness of subclinical hits that mostly fly under the radar can be incredibly damaging over time; I'm not sure even the best ATCs can help much with potential risks from the accumulation of all the sub-concussion level hits.

[lynn]

No, all three of my boys played football for a couple of years.

[LMA]

My kids play hockey. The time to worry about concussions is when checking begins (age 13). However, the risk of other injuries, esp. knee injuries, when playing hockey are more likely. Most hockey players we know who got injuries had knee injuries. One kid on my son's team broke his collar bone from falling in a strange way.

 

The best thing is to wear proper equipment that fits. A lot of injuries are from wearing equipment that is too small and body parts are exposed. Don't be cheap about equipment. Get equipment that fits, not the cheapest helmet. My sons' helmets are Warrior helmets, which fit the heads very well with their special system. However, the helmets are $189 a piece. Used is not always best, especially with helmets.

 

Coaches usually do not diagnose. You take your child to the ER after a injury and get a diagnosis and treatment.

 

Here is an interesting article.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/sports/concussion-prevention-for-child-athletes-robert-c-cantu.html?_r=0

[Momof3littles]

Coaches usually do not diagnose. You take your child to the ER after a injury and get a diagnosis and treatment.

 

I do think this is what is supposed to happen, but I'm not confident it always does, unless the suspicion for concussion is quite high. Certainly the awareness and training of coaches on the seriousness of concussions has improved; I just don't think it is where it needs to be in all parts of the country and at all levels, unfortunately.

 

I think the probability that the student gets sent to be checked out after the game is higher if an ATC is on site. I'm not sure all coaches can distinguish with certainty when an athlete needs to be seen for further followup, especially now that we're finding out that the smaller hits that don't result in obvious concussion can be problematic.

 

When I spoke of coaches "diagnosing," I am using the term loosely. I mean when someone's kid is taking gymnastics at a gym and the coach is like, oh, that's a sprained ankle, put some ice on it type of thing. They may be right, but there's no easy access to an ATC. Yes, many coaches are aware of common injuries in the sport they coach and can be helpful, but I think some also don't know what they are doing, and that can be dangerous. Some would definitely want the athlete seen ASAP, but I've seen things go the other way where the coach downplays the discomfort or injury. Even for a professional, a full evaluation is necessary to really know what is going on.

[justamouse]

Many many moons ago--15 years? I asked my GP about putting my son in football.

 

He said no way, that the risk of life altering injury far outweighed the fun they would have. To put him in something else, instead. Martial arts, swim...

[Lisbeth]

We are a no football and no hockey family, too. It's not a problem because ,my sons have zero interest. We have no intetest in messing around with brain injury.

[Squiddles]

We have a good number of years before this could even potentially be an issue, but at this point, I'm pretty sure we're going to be a football free family. I just have a hard time seeing how the risk is worth it.

 

 

^^This, there are so many other great options for sports, so this one will stay off the table for us!

[Mommy22alyns]

Not just concussions, but every year when they start practices in the dead of August in high temperatures and all those pads... I'm glad I have girls and don't have to worry about that!

[MIch elle]

I didn't want my sons to play football because a friend from my high school had a very serious eye injury from football. Someone poked him in the eye during the pile up of players during the game. He had multiple eye surgeries on that eye, and it was never again the same eye.

 

Now with possible brain injury - NO WAY! My sons did play soccer which can also be dangerous but nothing near as dangerous as football or hockey.

[Mélie]

We just moved from Texas a month ago, and I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with football! It doesn't exist here, except for one adult recreational flag football league.

 

My boys do play hockey, and we'll deal with rugby when it comes up. I don't think the leagues start around here until about age 10.

[RoundAbout]

Great conversation! Dh and I discussed last night and decided against football.

 

So here's another question, or maybe it needs a spinoof-Then if you don't let them play football, do you feel that other sports with a decent chance of concussion such as regular ice skating and skiing would be bad too? Or is it that in football (and hockey) it's a significantly higher chance, so that's why it's ruled out?

 

Dh and I are trying to have these discussions now and feel out our boundaries on this stuff, that's why I'm asking others who may be more knowledgeable.

 

My son skis blue runs and I'm ok with that sport. I don't think he's fallen on skis since he was 3, though he doesn't race or do tricks. I think bicycling is probably just as dangerous. You have to draw the line somewhere and for us football and hockey is it because you just cant control what happens on the field. You can ski or cycle less aggressively to minimize accidents. Also the thing about skiing and cycling is that they are lifelong sports. My MIL is in her 60s and stills skis and rides bikes, and I'd rather DS invest in sports skills that will contribute to lifelong fitness.

[redsquirrel]

Not an issue for us, my boys are ballet dancers, but several friends have told their boys no football. The risk is just too great. Any, yes there is risk in anything, I don't think these folks are kidding themselves about that, but football is more risky than so many other things. The kids were maybe a little disappointed, but they got over quickly. There are so many other sports and different ways to get hurt, lol.

[meena]

My kids play hockey. The time to worry about concussions is when checking begins (age 13). However, the risk of other injuries, esp. knee injuries, when playing hockey are more likely. Most hockey players we know who got injuries had knee injuries. One kid on my son's team broke his collar bone from falling in a strange way.

 

The best thing is to wear proper equipment that fits. A lot of injuries are from wearing equipment that is too small and body parts are exposed. Don't be cheap about equipment. Get equipment that fits, not the cheapest helmet. My sons' helmets are Warrior helmets, which fit the heads very well with their special system. However, the helmets are $189 a piece. Used is not always best, especially with helmets.

 

My sons play hockey but are not at checking age yet. My older DS did play in a tourney (not USA Hockey) where checking was allowed at lower levels. We had him take lessons beforehand that specifically taught how to properly receive a check. He did fine at that tournament, none of the players on his team were injured, and the play really wasn't that different at his level. That experience aside, I'm glad that in his normal team play checking isn't allowed. Once they reach Bantam, DH and I will have to assess the risks and make a decision as to whether or not our sons will continue.

 

I agree that the right equipment (both good quality and proper fit) makes a huge difference in minimizing injuries.

[tex-mex]

We would discourage football. My uncle was a big football player and has lifelong issues due to brain damage from his playing days. And his injuries were not terribly severe.

 

If one of my children had an interest in sports, I'd encourage a different one, perhaps one where using your head as a battering ram is not encouraged.

 

 

 

:iagree:

My dh played football from the age of 10 to college. He has always complained of his injuries from football over the years -- especially now that he is older. And how difficult it is for his working memory to process complex problems as he aged, for example. When our son was younger, he refused to allow him to play pop warner football. Now that the data is coming out about concussions, he feels vindicated. Dh has a degree in Sports Medicine/Kinesiology and his view is that technology comes out with "better" equipment -- resulting in more severe tackles or checks -- and no piece of equipment will help preserve the brain from injury.

[J-rap]

My son and oldest daughter played hockey, but that was before all the publicity about concussions. I'd have a much more difficult time with it now, especially given my own husband's brain injury.

[Bear23]

To me it's not much different from any other sport out there. You know what could happen before you sign your child up. If any of our sons wanted to join football we'd be behind them all the way.

[Χά�ων]

Just for kicks I sent a facebook message to a few of the older guys (as in retired) at the rink who I know played both hockey and football and asked where they got the most injuries. All said football hands down. They played youth hockey and youth football 30-60 years ago when body checking was the norm and equipment was minimal as best. All three said they only recieved head injuries in football, none in hockey. According to the old timer rink rats, football is more dangerous. I'm sure that is scientific. ;)

[Farrar]

We also would discourage joining a football league or team. If my kids really wanted to play, I guess I'd have to have a serious conversation and really think it through. Luckily, they barely know what it is. Dh and I are not fans. We like baseball. The kids chose soccer as their sport.

 

If the kids ever wanted to play football with friends just hanging around, that would be fine though. When I taught middle school, a lot of the boys spent all lunch playing touch football and we see kids playing in the street here all the time and that never seems any more dangerous than anything else.

[Trillian]

I wrestle with this issue a lot. My ds played his first year of football last summer when he was 11. He got a slight concussion but I was so thankful for all of the talk on concussions because the dr and the coach erred on the side of caution before letting him play again. I felt like a barbarian, though, in letting my ds take part in something that could be very dangerous. I have talked this over quite a bit with my dh and friends. I think we will be letting him play this year as well. Here is my thinking on this: My ds does not play any other sport. He is extremely passionate about football. He loves playing it. He looked forward going to football (practise as well as game) so that he could be a part of a team. He felt like 'one of the guys' and this is the first time that this has happened in all of his extra-curricular activities. I think if I didn't let him play, it would hurt his spirit and, keeping in mind of some other things that are going on in our lives right now I am sensitive to this. So we take the risk but we exercise extreme caution.

 

Honestly, this is our DS and hockey. He's very active, but has never taken to a sport before. We do make sure he has the proper equipment, he isn't to the checking level, and I'm not sure how I would feel if he got a concussion. But, he also roller blades, roller skates, and is just plain active.

 

FWIW, I was not particularly sports oriented (or active) as a kid, I did ski (pre-helmets), and I got a concussion sledding - into a tree. I guess that's why I think he is as likely to get a concussion now just being an active kid.

 

That will change when he reaches the checking level and we'll have to re-think things.

 

He would love to speed skate and there's nothing near us. I might have to see how far I would have to drive.

[Χά�ων]

He would love to speed skate and there's nothing near us. I might have to see how far I would have to drive.

 

FWIW: I drive 90 minutes each way to get to 5:30am practice ice every Friday morning. The things we do for our children.

 

If I desired to sleep in the Saturday practice is 3 hours away.

 

Speed skating is not without risks.

[StephanieZ]

I've been aware of this issue for a long time, and it is the reason why we don't allow football or hockey (despite interest in both from ds), and we also didn't allow out kids to practice "headers" when they played soccer. Most youth leagues prohibit using headers in the games for young kids, but some camps, etc teach them anyway and/or coaches have them practice them. We prohibited it for our dc. This might have precluded them from playing at older ages, but our dc dropped soccer before headers were allowed in games, so it wasn't a big issue.

 

And, of course, we require helmets for bikes, boards, skis, etc of all types!

 

Brain power is too precious to risk.

[StephanieZ]

ps. I also make the kids wear their ski helmets if they are going to go all wild and fast sledding . . . Some days there is lots of fluffy snow and they go slow . . . But if it's icy and they are building jumps across the road, well, they have to put on the helmets!

[msjones]

It looks like I'm one of the few "yes" moms on this thread.

 

My husband coaches high school football. My younger son will be starting tackle next season. He has played flag up until now.

 

Yes, it worries me. But we will allow him to play.

 

Sigh...

[Donna]

I have one son who has played football for the last two years and another who has been wrestling for 12 years. There is the possibility of injury in any sport. My oldest son had a friend who broke his wrist wrestling so his mom said he couldn't wrestle the next year but that fall he got a concussion playing football which she allowed and injured his neck. For every person who gets a concussion that results in major damage there are so many more who play without injury. My nephew has permanent damage to his ankle from two breaks playing soccer in high school. I played soccer when they allowed headers and never had a problem.

 

We could all die or become permanently disabled in a car accident tomorrow but we don't stop getting in a car. I am not the kind of mom who tries to shelter my kids from everything.

[msjones]

Also, my husband's team has a team doctor on the field at every practice and every game. Any player with a suspected head/neck injury is taken out of the game immediately -- no exceptions. They are strict enough about it that some parents complain. (?!?!?)

 

 

Don't soccer players have a lot of head injuries, too? Why don't they wear helmets? Just wondering...

[Mom2pandc]

Just to add, My husband broke his nose and got a concussion from bull riding. We are okay with wrestling and football, but my husband might draw the line at bull riding. I've been informed mutton busting!?!? Would be okay though. Basically a kid hangs onto a sheep for dear life.

[magnificent_baby]

Just to add, My husband broke his nose and got a concussion from bull riding. We are okay with wrestling and football, but my husband might draw the line at bull riding. I've been informed mutton busting!?!? Would be okay though. Basically a kid hangs onto a sheep for dear life.

 

 

I can hardly stand to watch mutton busting...yikes! Looks painful for those little ones!

[ktgrok]

Not just concussions, but every year when they start practices in the dead of August in high temperatures and all those pads... I'm glad I have girls and don't have to worry about that!

 

 

Yes, that terrifies me for those players. the heat is extreme and the coaches can be brutal.

 

My son isn't interested in football. But I do remember researching that soccer was as dangerous, or more so, in regards to concussions.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I played on my high school's varsity soccer team for two years. At that level, anyway, heading wasn't used very often (maybe the boys' teams used it more in games). I remain skeptical about claims that soccer has as many concussions as football - unless youth leagues and high school teams have become much more competitive and aggressive in the last decade. I doubt I headed the ball even once every game and if you do it right, you are hitting the ball - the ball isn't really hitting you.

 

If the research does eventually prove that heading isn't safe, just as most leagues below a certain age ban slide tackles, they could ban heading and the game would be fundamentally the same. I don't watch football, but it sounds like the game would need to be changed completely to protect the players from head injuries.

[Snow]

I don't know any statistics for head injuries in soccer, but if its a result of headers, a player could just not go for headers; either take it on the chest or don't jump for it. It's totally in the player's control. In football, you have no control of whether or where someone's going to tackle you. Tough decisions though, especially if the child is really into the sport.

[LucyStoner]

It dawned on me while we were all at the skating rink this afternoon as a family that we are the ones you see wearing helmets, wrist guards etc just to roller skate. My husband and I wear them too, not just the kids. Partly as a good example to them and partly because I am fully aware of the risks of falling while skating. I watched a friend break her wrist 2 minutes after putting on skates for the first time as an adult. I also make my kids practice falling 10-15 times before letting them hit the floor every single time we go because I don't want them to have a limb rolled over or trip/injure someone else with outstretched limbs. We do get looks sometimes (very few people wear helmets and gear when skating at open skate times) but I would rather be an oddball than driving my kid to the ER on Sunday for an xray and a cast.

 

If I require full protective gear for roller skating, football is naturally low on my lists of preferred sports. While there are risks in every sport (you could die in a baseball game after all), some risks are indisputably larger than others.

 

If it were an absolute passion for one of my sons, I might be persuaded. That said, if there is ANY other sport they would enjoy, I would push hard for that. My older son is not athletically inclined at all (takes after my husband) and my younger son seems much more athletically interested (takes after me.) My older son's physical activities consist of running, biking, roller skating and yoga. When he was on a little league team he was the kid in the outfield who couldn't catch the ball. I imagine that if this comes up, it would come from my younger son. That said, I would much prefer basketball or baseball or swimming or something. Soccer is not IME as dangerous as football.

I don't know any statistics for head injuries in soccer, but if its a result of headers, a player could just not go for headers; either take it on the chest or don't jump for it. It's totally in the player's control. In football, you have no control of whether or where someone's going to tackle you. Tough decisions though, especially if the child is really into the sport.

 

 

 

I know several girls who have had concussions from playing soccer, but none from heading the ball, all have been from running into another player and hitting their head against another player's head or elbow or something. One had pretty long-term brain damage, and couldn't walk without help for months.

[msjones]

 

 

I know several girls who have had concussions from playing soccer, but none from heading the ball, all have been from running into another player and hitting their head against another player's head or elbow or something. One had pretty long-term brain damage, and couldn't walk without help for months.

 

 

Interestingly, my husband the football coach had his worst head injury playing soccer. He and another player just collided. No heading involved. It was a terrible, bloody accident -- stitches and a concussion as a result.

 

Don't mistake me -- I'm certainly not trying to claim that soccer is as dangerous as football. But, most sports have some real risk of head injury involved.

 

I've seen a kid just nailed in the head by a baseball, a child hit in the head with a bat, and colliding heads during basketball games. I know of one terrible situation in which a swimmer hit bottom during a dive and is now paralyzed. A gymnast in our area was recently paralyzed in a terrible accident. Skiers hit trees or other skiers, bikers are hit by cars, riders are thrown from horses.

 

Tennis, bowling, distance-running, and track and field events seems safer.

 

But, we'll be doing football. I'll cringe and pray and try to root for my son. He loves it.

[Joker]

 

Interestingly, my husband the football coach had his worst head injury playing soccer. He and another player just collided. No heading involved. It was a terrible, bloody accident -- stitches and a concussion as a result.

 

 

 

 

My brother played football through high school and college. He's also now a football coach. His worst injury was actually officiating a basketball game. It was the only time he ever needed an xray or had a broken bone. I said it earlier in one of these threads, but there are just no guarantees and anything can become dangerous.

[beaners]

Interestingly, my husband the football coach had his worst head injury playing soccer. He and another player just collided. No heading involved. It was a terrible, bloody accident -- stitches and a concussion as a result.

 

Don't mistake me -- I'm certainly not trying to claim that soccer is as dangerous as football. But, most sports have some real risk of head injury involved.

 

I've seen a kid just nailed in the head by a baseball, a child hit in the head with a bat, and colliding heads during basketball games. I know of one terrible situation in which a swimmer hit bottom during a dive and is now paralyzed. A gymnast in our area was recently paralyzed in a terrible accident. Skiers hit trees or other skiers, bikers are hit by cars, riders are thrown from horses.

 

Tennis, bowling, distance-running, and track and field events seems safer.

 

But, we'll be doing football. I'll cringe and pray and try to root for my son. He loves it.

 

 

It's so hard to say how kids will get hurt. I had a concussion from pole vaulting in high school. I think there are helmets now, but they weren't in use then. A teammate hyperextended his knee doing the triple jump and the damage was so severe that he couldn't compete afterwards. I can't even count the number of torn ACLs and MCLs I've heard of from soccer, basketball, and softball or baseball. While they were more likely to be minor injuries than severe trauma, my father has always had a significant number of kids sidelined from cross country and track due to broken bones or fractures from playing basketball in the driveway since he started coaching. Another friend in high school had a very serious concussion from jumping down the stairs into her own basement and smacking her head on a support beam. There are just so many potential risks for injury.

 

Mine are young, but cringe and pray sums up my philosophy too.

[AndyJoy]

At 13, I broke my ankle by standing in line. Yes, STANDING IN LINE. I was wearing new shoes, took a small step sideways, and just rolled my ankle and fell on it hard. I also broke my finger at youth group while hitting a balloon (another girl missed and snapped my pinky in half). I sprained my ankle at 9 by hopping over my dad who was lying on the living room floor. I broke my wrist at 18 mo. by climbing out of my playpen. I broke my other pinky playing basketball and my nose playing Lightning/Bump out (with a strobe light--an idiotic idea they sprung on me at my college's "Midnight Madness" event to kick off the basketball season.)

 

I know lots of injuries occur in sports (and random life!) in general, but the whole concept of intentionally ramming one's head/body into another person pushes football over the line of risks we're willing to allow our son to take. Hockey and motocross are on our family's banned list as well.

[Snow]

 

 

 

I know several girls who have had concussions from playing soccer, but none from heading the ball, all have been from running into another player and hitting their head against another player's head or elbow or something. One had pretty long-term brain damage, and couldn't walk without help for months.

 

 

Yikes! I had no idea. Makes sense though.