Pop Warner youth football, an organization service 280,000 children nationwide, recently announced that players and cheerleaders suffering concussions must have clearance signed by a medical professional trained in injury before returning to play, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
Guidelines from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and the National Federation of High School Associations have asked that students are cleared by their physicians for the bulk of this year's football season, which has worked well, according to Dave Tumbas, director of UPMC Sports Medicine's athletic training facility.
Physician shopping is a possible problem with these rules, says Michael "Micky" Collins, MD, assistant director of the UPMC Sports Medicine concussion program, because athletes may go to family physicians or chiropractors for clearance if they don't receive a note from the team physician or concussion expert.
Read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report on concussion notes.
Read other coverage on concussions:
- American Academy of Neurosurgery: 5 Recommendations on Sports Concussions
- As Concussion Injuries Rise, NFL Imposes Fines for Unnecessary Roughness
- Texas' University of Interscholastic League Creates New Concussion Guidelines
Guidelines from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and the National Federation of High School Associations have asked that students are cleared by their physicians for the bulk of this year's football season, which has worked well, according to Dave Tumbas, director of UPMC Sports Medicine's athletic training facility.
Physician shopping is a possible problem with these rules, says Michael "Micky" Collins, MD, assistant director of the UPMC Sports Medicine concussion program, because athletes may go to family physicians or chiropractors for clearance if they don't receive a note from the team physician or concussion expert.
Read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report on concussion notes.
Read other coverage on concussions:
- American Academy of Neurosurgery: 5 Recommendations on Sports Concussions
- As Concussion Injuries Rise, NFL Imposes Fines for Unnecessary Roughness
- Texas' University of Interscholastic League Creates New Concussion Guidelines