Keeping Kids Safe From Traumatic Brain Injuries in Football

Your Doctor Friends

Can you feel it?!? The energy, the excitement, the smell of fresh-cut grass—football season is back! From Friday night lights to Sunday tailgates, there’s nothing quite like it. The thrill of the game, the hard hits, the big plays, the rivalries—we wait all year for this. It’s the heartbeat of fall.

But behind the touchdowns and tackles, there’s a conversation we can’t afford to ignore. As much as we love this sport, we can’t turn a blind eye to the growing concerns around traumatic brain injuries—injuries that have changed the lives of countless players, from the pros to the youth leagues.

In the first week of the new season, two young people, Caden Tellier, 16, of Selma, Alabama and Cohen Craddock, 13, of West Virginia, died of traumatic brain injuries. While we don’t have all the details of their tragic injuries, it is a stark reminder of the risks players take when they step onto the field.

In this episode, Your Doctor Friends dive into the other side of the excitement—the risks that come with those bone-crushing hits. We tackle topics such as whether the type of helmet matters, what those weird sponge-like helmet covers actually do and how tackle football compares to flag football (spoiler alert, this 2021 study by the CDC and published in Sports Health, found that youth tackle football players experienced FIFTEEN TIMES more head impacts than their youth flag football players).

We also give you tips on how to be mindful of signs of concussion or more serious brain injuries. The CDC's "Heads Up" program has great information on their website!

Football is fun. Football can be dangerous. Informed consent matters!

Your Doctor Friends are here to give you the breakdown and help you decide what's best for you and your family. Stay healthy, dear friends!

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