One of the NFL’s most pressing problems isn’t close to being solved as the league’s chief medical officer discussed a rise in the number of player concussions last season.
Dr Allen Sills said there had been 291 reported cases of concussion last season compared with 250 in 2016, a 16% rise. In mitigation, the 2017 figures could have been affected by more players self-reporting concussions than in the past. However, Sills said that was not an excuse. “It’s not OK to simply stand behind that and say, ‘Well, the numbers are going up because we’re doing a better job,’” he said. “I think to me this is really a call to action to see what we can do to drive it down.”There was a huge rise – 73% – in concussions suffered during pre-season training camp practices. That could be attributed to players pushing hard as they try to make the roster for the new season. Dr Thom Mayer, the NFL Players Association’s medical director, said coaches needed to address the matter.
“With 291 concussions, if we’re going to take a progressive strategy toward reducing or eliminating the maximum number of concussions we have, I think it’s imperative, and I think we’re long past having coaches educated as to how these concussions occur,” Mayer said. “Not only the head coaches but also the position coaches. I think we have to get down to that level for them to understand precisely how these concussions occur.
Source :- theguardian
Dr Allen Sills said there had been 291 reported cases of concussion last season compared with 250 in 2016, a 16% rise. In mitigation, the 2017 figures could have been affected by more players self-reporting concussions than in the past. However, Sills said that was not an excuse. “It’s not OK to simply stand behind that and say, ‘Well, the numbers are going up because we’re doing a better job,’” he said. “I think to me this is really a call to action to see what we can do to drive it down.”There was a huge rise – 73% – in concussions suffered during pre-season training camp practices. That could be attributed to players pushing hard as they try to make the roster for the new season. Dr Thom Mayer, the NFL Players Association’s medical director, said coaches needed to address the matter.
“With 291 concussions, if we’re going to take a progressive strategy toward reducing or eliminating the maximum number of concussions we have, I think it’s imperative, and I think we’re long past having coaches educated as to how these concussions occur,” Mayer said. “Not only the head coaches but also the position coaches. I think we have to get down to that level for them to understand precisely how these concussions occur.
Source :- theguardian
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