After a concussion, what comes next?
A concussion may be over, but the questions don’t end there. Why are some athletes more likely to suffer another kind of injury, and what do researchers still need to learn?
A young athlete returns to sports after a concussion, then suffers an ankle sprain or a knee injury. Could the two injuries be connected? Researchers are finding a link, but they are still working to understand why it happens.
In this episode of The Backstory, host Sabrina Halvorson talks with Dr. Jessie Oldham, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, about what concussion research is teaching us about young athletes. The conversation is the second part of our series on concussion safety in youth sports.
Listen here:
“If you’ve seen one concussion, you’ve seen one concussion.” - Dr. Jessie Oldham
Dr. Oldham explains why a concussion can affect each athlete differently and what researchers are learning about the risk of other injuries after an athlete returns to sports. She also discusses gaps in research involving younger children and female athletes.
What about the effects years later? Dr. Oldham talks about what scientists know, what they cannot yet say, and why following athletes over time matters. She also shares what she wants parents, coaches and student athletes to remember when someone takes a hit and does not feel right.
Read the full article on how North Dakota youth sports are changing their approach to concussions.
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The North Dakota News Cooperative is a nonprofit news organization providing reliable and independent reporting on issues and events that impact the lives of North Dakotans. The organization increases the public’s access to quality journalism and advances news literacy across the state.
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