<\/p>\n
DeSoto running back Sarod Baker is engulfed by the Southlake Carroll defense during a 6A Division 2 playoff game in December. All 6A schools are required to report concussion data to the UIL.<\/p>\n
Bob Booth<\/p>\n
Special to the Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
Urban and lower-income high schools in North Texas may be underreporting concussions in high school athletes, a new study has found.<\/p>\n
The study, published by researchers with UT Southwestern Medical Center<\/a>, found that fewer concussions were reported in North Texas high school athletes in urban and lower-income districts.<\/p>\n All Texas schools participating in the University Interscholastic League are encouraged to report concussions to the ConTex2 registry, which collects data on concussions in Texas. The state\u2019s largest schools, known as 6A schools, are required to report concussions to the registry. Researchers analyzed 6,300 concussions reported to the registry from student athletes in grades 9 through 12.<\/p>\n The good news, said Dr. Mathew Stokes, an assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology at UT Southwestern, is that reporting in sports like soccer and football were similar no matter the location or average income of the school.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s promising that we are doing a good job in those areas,\u201d said Stokes, one of the study\u2019s senior authors.<\/p>\n The discrepancy, he said, occurred in less visible sports, like cheerleading, cross country, softball, and marching band.<\/p>\n The study is working off the assumption that concussion rates are similar at different high schools across North Texas. It is estimated that about 15% of high school athletes will suffer a concussion during the course of their high school career. A concussion is defined as a traumatic brain injury that\u2019s caused by either a direct blow to the head or by a blow that causes a transmitted force to the brain, Stokes said.<\/p>\n \u2b50 Our editors also recommend: <\/p>\n It\u2019s important that concussions get reported to the registry, Stokes said, because if concussions aren\u2019t reported they probably aren\u2019t getting diagnosed and treated.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you get more injuries, there\u2019s a potential long term impact on your brain, and so we want to make sure that we\u2019re catching these and diagnosing them correctly,\u201d Stokes said.<\/p>\n One of the most important factors in avoiding long-term health issues, Stokes said, is getting appropriately diagnosed and pulled from play at the time of the concussion.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s not happening, you\u2019re putting people at risk of either returning to play when they\u2019re not ready, or continuing to play when they have an injury, which puts them at risk of long term issues from their concussion.<\/p>\n The researchers hypothesized that less visible sports at lower income schools might have fewer resources available to diagnose and report concussions.<\/p>\n