Colorado Law Addresses Youth Traumatic Brain Injury

Denver, COWhen it comes to young athletes and the risk of traumatic brain injury, the sport that might first come to mind is hockey. That is especially true now that the National Hockey League's superstar player, Sidney Crosby, has been sidelined indefinitely with a brain injury. Although Crosby is an adult, the brain injury could have caused serious damage; but that may be nothing compared to what young athletes experience when they suffer a brain injury accident.

The concern for young athletes is serious enough that Colorado recently signed a bill into law requiring coaches bench young athletes as young as 11 years old when they are believed to have experienced a head injury. Those athletes would then require medical clearance before they can return to the sport. Finally, coaches will be required to take annual training to recognize when one of their players has experienced a concussion.

For some players, that legislation may be too late. An article by The Associated Press (March 31, 2011) reports on Jake Bryant, a young goalie for a youth hockey team. After he suffered five concussions in fewer than two years, Bryant had to retire from hockey. He was only 16 years old.

Youth are especially susceptible to long-term damage from brain injuries because their brains are still developing. Unfortunately, because they may not recognize the signs of a traumatic brain injury, young athletes may return to play sooner than they should, even without pressure from their coaches, because they think they are fully healed. The problem is that too many concussions in too short a span can cause irreversible brain damage.

In some cases, the youth does not survive his injuries. Colorado's bill is named for Jake Snakenberg, a high school athlete who died in 2004 after what appeared to be a harmless hit during a football game. Jake's mother, Kelli Jantz, told The Denver Post (10/17/10) that although her son was injured the week before, he did not complain about any headaches and said he was ready to play again. During the game, a normal football hit sent Jake to the ground, and he did not get up. Jake was only 15 years old.

A neurosurgeon reported that Jake had sustained a major brain injury. He died of Second Impact Syndrome, a condition that only affects youth, whose brains have not fully developed. In Second Impact Syndrome, the patient sustains a second concussion before the first concussion has properly healed. This can cause severe brain swelling and permanent damage, even death.