Experts weigh in on head trauma in high school football

COLUMBUS, Ga. ( WRBL ) — Concerns of sports-related head injuries are rising amid a recent death of an Alabama high school football player who passed away over the weekend from a traumatic brain injury.

According to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the annual incidence of sports related concussion is estimated at 300,000.

McKenzie Grier, Sports Trainer at St. Anne Pacelli Catholic High School told News 3 she goes through a six step protocol to analyze her athletes for a head injury.

The protocol involves asking questions, memorization, and checking their nerves.

“You want to check their cranial nerves. And one of the best things to do is get them to you. Pull your fingers between there. So have them press their index and their thumb as hard as they can. And if you can pull through that, then something’s not going right in their hand.”

McKenzie Grier, Sports Trainer at St. Anne Pacelli Catholic High School

Grier says, if a player gets to step six of her protocol and begins to decline, she starts the athlete back at the beginning.

This is to prevent further damage that could alter a player’s life. WRBL spoke with Dr. Siraj Abdullah, a sports medicine physician with Piedmont Columbus Regional. He explains the potential danger of missing a head injury.

“If they go back in and it’s unrecognized, there’s something called a second impact syndrome. With second impact syndrome-what can happen is that if they can take another hit to the head, it can be very fatal. It has happened where someone’s been paralyzed.  Someone had to be hospitalized.  They have to learn how to do basic things like walk and talk again if they make it through that part.”

Dr. Siraj Abdullah, Sports Medicine Physician with Piedmont Columbus Regional

Abdullah says an athlete’s course to recover can be hindered if they fall into a depression from not participating in their sport.

“A lot of times when an athlete gets pulled from their sport, that’s an emotional blow,” Grier says.

“If someone has depression and/or chronic headaches, it has been shown to prolong the process and then get back into the sport.”

Dr. Siraj Abdullah, Sports Medicine Physician with Piedmont Columbus Regional

Grier and Abdullah agree the safety of the athlete is more important than the game and want to return players to their team in the best condition possible.

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