"You're only 17 once. I have the rest of my life to worry about pain."
I'm still thinking about that compelling quote from a high school football player in Frontline's documentary on the risks and rewards of the game. Minnesota native Caitlin McNally produced the documentary. It acknowledges the historical risk of football injuries, but examines the rising rate of injuries as the pressure to win at the high school level increases and the players increase their size, strength and speed.
The documentary certainly adds to the growing concern in the U.S. about the risk of concussions for teens -- whether they play football or other sports.
Tuesday, Minnesota senators considered a bill that would create statewide standards for when concussed young athletes can return to play. A Star Tribune story featured testimony by Kayla Meyer, a 15-year-old who gave up playing hockey after two concussions. She wonders if her rush to play after both injuries on the ice might have made her symptoms worse. She continues to have severe headaches and difficulties reading and being in loud environments -- more than a year since her last concussion.
Public health officials aren't sure they can prevent concussions in sports, but they want to reduce the number of teens who return to play while those initial concussions are still healing.
"A concussed brain is more susceptible to further injury," said Dr. Mark Carlson, a Sanford Health physician who testified to the Minnesota Senate education committee. "Invariably, another injury, another concussion, another head impact or even body impact causes the concussion to worsen."
Children and teens might recover faster from other injuries, but it takes them longer than adults to heal from concussions, he added.
Whether by force of law or other means, improvements to concussion detection and treatment seem needed. But parents, what about the bigger question of putting kids in harm's way in the first place? (Note: all sports present risks. An estimated 5 percent of sports concussions involve cheerleaders.) How do you weigh whether to allow your kids to play in sports that present injury risks -- to "be 17" as the young football player put it?
