Injuries are inevitable in athletics and are typically attributed to collision sports: football, wrestling, lacrosse, yet occur in every sport. For student-athletes, injuries are especially troublesome, affecting their ability to perform in the classroom as well as impairing in-game capabilities. One injury, career ending or not, diminishes an athlete’s ability to achieve dreams of scoring the state championship-winning goal, or perhaps obtaining a roster spot on a collegiate team.
Each day at Westfield, approximately 30-60 injured athletes are in the athletic training room for evaluation and rehab. Recovery time varies just as much as the injuries themselves, typically ranging from a couple of weeks to nine months. Shandi Partner, athletic trainer, noted, “We don’t typically see career-ending injuries, but will see a handful of season-ending injuries each year.”
Concussions are one of the most frequent injuries Partner sees each season. Westfield cheerleader Vallie Anderson, 11, suffered a season-ending concussion this fall, and detailed the experience navigating her injury: “I can’t use computers, read, or write; I am unable to learn the majority of what I need to; and am falling behind [in classes].”
Concussions, more than any other injury, are detrimental to a student-athlete’s career due to the time spent out of the classroom. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises students to take two to three days of rest following a concussion, a seemingly short amount of time. Once returning, the student usually is only able to tolerate working in short increments of time, preventing test-taking and numerous other required activities in classes. Time spent being unable to work piles up, as do all of the assignments.
A survey by the CDC regarding concussions in high school indicated that approximately 15% of high school student-athletes experience at least one concussion, and face similar troubles.
Even mild concussions are considered traumatic brain injuries, and could cause memory loss, depression, and cognitive issues, and having one concussion significantly increases the odds of experiencing more. These symptoms may persist after the athlete’s concussion is healed. Some of the countless lifelong effects of traumatic brain injuries include job loss and multiplied odds of hospitalizations, reliance on others for day-to-day activities, and in some cases, death.
Because of the unpredictability of injuries, athletes must take precautions to reduce the risk of injury. Partner advises student-athletes should “stretch properly before and after practices, hydrate properly, and get a balanced diet.” Student-athletes should also ensure that gear used, from helmets to shoes, fit properly, and are regularly inspected for damage.
It is crucial to get any injury or concussion symptoms checked out, no matter how seemingly minor the pain may be. Worsening a potential injury is not worth playing through practice, games, or competitions, as health is always the number one priority in athletics.
