In the Blog

High school sports and concussions

October 2nd, 2007     by Allison Martell     Comments

The New York Times reports that Girls Are Often Neglected Victims of Concussions, though they don’t really manage to explain why.

“Generally speaking, the medical profession does not do a very good job in recognizing that female athletes sustain concussions at an equal or even higher rate as males,” said Dr. Robert Cantu of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, one of the nation’s leading experts in concussion management. “It’s flying under the radar. And as a result, looking for concussions in women is not pursued with the same diligence, and it’s setting girls up for a worse result.”

The article also touches on some of the dilemmas posed by university sports scholarships - in this case, their lure can keep girls on the field even if they have already had a couple concussions and are at risk of post-concussion syndrome. Sports scholarships are relatively uncommon in Canada, but that doesn’t keep Canadian girls from competing for American scholarships.

Tags: body politics, sporting goods

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