EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ATHLETIC HEAD INJURY

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The Football Helmet Controversy

In 1962, the American Medical Association's (AMA's) newly established Committee on Medical Aspects of Sports hosted the “National Conference on Head Protection for Athletes,” which convened authorities of that era in the emerging field of “sports medicine” to discuss current issues.13 Football became the focus, as it is now, and the efficacy of the recent changes in the football helmet and the advent of the football face mask concerning catastrophic injury became the issue. “Catastrophic

Separating the Head From “Head/Neck”

The tradition of considering football catastrophic injuries as “head/neck” was realized as disguising the differing epidemiological patterns of catastrophic head and neck injuries, respectively. In 1966, Schneider (who was an active conferee in 1962) published his national survey of neurosurgeons as to the frequency and nature of football neurotrauma seen in their practice between 1959 and 1963.15 With a 61% response rate but a tabular display style that did not warn readers that the same case

CONCLUSION

The incidence and patterns of head injuries in sports is not well documented beyond the annual reporting of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research. Minimizing head injury in sports relies on existing standards for protective helmets, teaching of skills that minimize direct head impact even in contact sport, officiating rules that apply to the minimization of head injury mechanisms in the sport, and practically evaluating even the so-called minor concussion. The advantages

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There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Address reprint requests to Kenneth S. Clarke, PhD, SLE Worldwide, Inc., 27751 Calle Rabano, Sun City, CA 92585

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Risk Analysis, SLE Worldwide, Inc., Sun City, California

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