Concussions in High School Athletes Greatly Underestimated

The House Education and Labor Committee is holding a hearing today on the prevalence of concussions in high school athletes.

As part of this hearing, a report was made public from the Government Accounting Office that finds that concussions among high-school athletes occur with alarming frequency, but it's impossible to know exactly how often because of gaps in how the injuries are reported. The report also finds that  three national databases of concussions among high-school athletes all underestimate the problem.

In testimony before the hearing today research from the Children's National Medical Center in Washington will be introduced which found that more than 80% of student athletes who experienced concussions reported a significant worsening of symptoms over the first four weeks after attempting to return to school academics.

The prepared testimony of Gerard Gioia, chief of pediatric neuropsychology at Children's National Medical Center in Washington states:  "The typical concentration and memory requirements of school place significant demands on the brain's biological software,   "When these cognitive demands are placed on a brain in an impaired state, the result is an increase in post-concussion symptoms."

More information will be provided at the conclusion of today’s hearing.