Coppell Middle Schooler Nicolas Reyes studied concussions for a Science Fair Project that won first prize. Then he suffered one playing soccer. Football head injuries have thankfully received a tremendous amount of news coverage and attention of late. There’s even an award winning movie starring Will Smith that is currently in theaters. Nicolas is part of landmark study led by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center following several hundred youth some as young as five years old. The Centers for Disease Control estimates there are 3.8 millions sports-related concussions each year. Like Nicolas, my daughter has played soccer since she was four years old. I’ve worried about her suffering a concussion although you do not usually associate soccer with head injuries. Last Sunday evening I had my biggest scare watching her play indoor soccer. She crashed into the plexiglass 3 feet from where I was sitting. I wasn’t sure she was going to get up. Fortunately, she apparently only suffered bruises to her elbow and knee along with a scared psyche. She’s pretty sure she didn’t hit her head. Hopefully, studies like the one at UTSW will help us better understand, prevent and treat brain-related injuries for our kids who play sports.
