Taking a hard hit to the head is causing concussions in more young athletes. Virginia schools are preparing parents and young athletes to deal with the impacts of an increasing number of sports concussions caused by a hard hit to the head in competitive play.
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered a 62 percent increase in sports-related traumatic brain injury over a decade for athletes under the age of 19. Because of that increase, Virginia law now requires parents and athletes to take part in concussion education in public schools. Additionally, a bill is making its way through Richmond to require youth sports leagues to prepare policies and train parents and athletes in identifying concussions.