By DANIEL GALLEN
Capital News Service
COLLEGE PARK — Dr. Dennis L. Molfese, scientific director of the Big Ten/CIC-Ivy League Traumatic Brain Injury Collaboration, has helped lead significant research on sports concussions and their impact on society. While there has been progress, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor said, much more education and research are needed to help improve responses to concussions.
During a recent interview, Molfese touched on six key areas in need of improvement:
Coaches and trainers
“What practices are going to minimize and what gear is going to minimize concussion risk? What kinds of exercises during basketball practice, football practice, put the player more at risk for concussion, and are they essential for development of very excellent skilled individuals?”
Players
“They have to both be able to recognize if they’ve had a concussion, and if they do recognize they’ve had one, they have to be educated to know they shouldn’t hide it. They should tell somebody. If they have a concussion and they continue to play, then there’s a risk of further, more extreme cognitive impairment and even death, so that’s a pretty important thing. They should not be sucking it up for the good of the team. That taking a hit for the team doesn’t mean giving your life for the team.”
Doctors
“During medical school, physicians aren’t trained, receive no course on brain injury and yet … the physician is identified as the person to indicate whether someone with a brain injury is OK to return to their activity without any risk of further brain damage.”
Schools
“I was just talking on the phone with a physician whose daughter has a head injury, but the school, the college, will not accommodate her. … They’re into exam week and they won’t let her take an incomplete, even though she’s had a head injury. Now what he found ironic is that they will make those accommodations for athletes who obviously in the course of a sport have an injury, but here’s someone who was involved in a car accident, has a brain injury comparable to what an athletes might have sustained, and the school’s not doing anything about it. The impact [of taking exams] is actually putting her more at risk.”
Parents
“What kinds of activities should your child be involved in that are low-risk? Parents should have children wear helmets if they’re riding their tricycle or their bicycle. People should be wearing seat belts in cars.”
Teachers
“Teachers get virtually no information on what to do if you have a pupil in your classroom, a child or a college student, who has a head injury. What accommodations should you be making?”