More Head Injuries in High School Athletes

Shannon Weidemann

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A study released by the American Journal of Sports Medicine has shown that high school athletes are three times more likely to suffer a catastrophic head injury than college athletes. The study was conducted by Dr. Barry P. Boden on 94 cases that happened between 1989 and 2002.

Boden's group defined catastrophic head injuries as injuries resulting in death, permanent disability or serious injuries without permanent disability. All of the head injuries were considered "direct," a result of participation in the sport, rather than "indirect," not associated with systemic failure secondary to exertion during the game.

"The bottom line is that I think we need to be a little bit more careful with these younger athletes," Boden told Reuters Health. "I think they need more attention, and I think concussions need to be taken more seriously so that these players aren't going on to have a more serious injury."

The doctor concluded the disparity between high school and college athletes was due to better access to doctors at the college level and that the younger players were more prone to damage in the brain.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Head and Brain Injuries.