The issue of contact sports and concussions has been all over the news in recent years.
There’s enough concern that a growing number of parents are deciding against letting their kids play rough sports because of the fear that concussions will lead to permanent neurological damage. It’s a complete swing away from the attitudes of the past when coaches would tell players "just walk it off."
There’s a new book which suggests that, yes, concussions are very serious, but there’s a lot of misinformation about them, and also a lot of media hype. The book is called: Back In the Game: Why Concussion Doesn’t Have to End Your Athletic Career.
The authors are Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, a sport neurologist, who went through the University of Michigan Neurology Residency program, and Joanne Gerstner, who is the Sports Journalist in Residence at Michigan State University. Both of them joined Stateside to discuss the complex issue of concussions and how parents and athletes alike need to educate themselves.
Listen to the full interview above to hear more about the different types of concussions, what you should and shouldn't do when you think you had one, and why people should hold off on hitting the panic button when it comes to this issue.
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