Mind Matters: How Local Football Programs Are Handing the Concussion Epidemic (Moonshine Ink)

The distinctive “pop” of a bracing football hit can bring cheers from the crowd, but can also cause some of the sport’s most tragic injuries. A player’s protective equipment is meant to safely distribute the impact of the forces during a hit, but that doesn’t always happen. The force can be absorbed to the head, and when that impact reaches around 100 g-forces — equivalent to smashing your skull against a wall at 20 mph — a concussion occurs, according to the University of Michigan. And a concussion has the potential to lead to significant brain problems, which local high schools and the medical community are aiming to combat using modern tools. Read more…