TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Many young people participate in contact sports like soccer and soccer, but they can be dangerous at times.
Head injury fears have resurfaced again with the recent injuries of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He was injured in a game against Buffalo and was allowed to come back and play. Then he was allowed to play again just four days later against the Bengals and was injured again after being thrown to the ground.
When we think of sports that result in head injuries, most of us imagine football. But did you know that driving race cars can also cause concussions?
Charles Krall is the communications manager for the ARCA Menards’ Series, a racing league.
“Accidents can happen at any time, so we want to make sure our racing drivers are protected with their head, their body, have restraint seats that wrap around them and restrict movement when they are involved in an accident,” said Krall. .
Sports medicine physician Dr. Eric Lindsley of Promedica said he sees concussions quite often at work.
“The main thing we’re seeing is head contact so there’s acceleration and deceleration,” the doctor said. “Whether it’s your head against another opponent, against the ground, against the side of a car, it’s anything where that head is moving and slows down quickly.”
Dr. Lindsley said some symptoms of a concussion are someone staggering on their feet, loss of consciousness, headaches, confusion and sensitivity to light.
And something to watch out for when it comes to contact sports: “What you want to avoid is a second impact after sustaining a concussion, which is why it’s so important to recognize the signs of concussion, diagnose them quickly, and remove the athlete or participant from any chance of hitting your head again,” said Dr. Lindsley.
Krall said there are risks to driving a race car, but there are also ways to protect yourself from injury.
“Make sure all your safety equipment is on, make sure you use all the safety equipment available to you,” Krall said. “While it’s dangerous, there’s certainly a lot of safety equipment, and I don’t think it’s any more dangerous than your kid going out and playing football in high school.”
Fortunately, Dr. Lindsley said most concussions are minor and take 10 to 14 days to heal.
See a spelling or grammar mistake in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.
Copyright 2022 WTVG. All rights reserved.
