WORCESTER, Mass. — A new study could change the face of community sports.
Researchers have found that sports-related concussions may not have as negative an impact on young athletes’ brains in the long term.
Many parents have been hesitant to let their children play sports like football, fearing that concussions could lead to long-term health problems.
“My son is one of them. My wife is a nurse and she doesn’t want him to play football because he’ll get concussions. But I tell her that’s not true and we have to look into it properly,” said Ramon Llanos, his father and youth coach.
This new study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, comes as welcome news to many parents, coaches and young athletes.
The study, led by researchers from Harvard University, surveyed more than 15,000 adults aged 50 to 90 who were not professional athletes.
Many of them had suffered sports-related concussions when they were younger.
The researchers found that “there was no decline in long-term cognitive or behavioral performance compared to non-concussed individuals” and that “in fact, at the start of the study, those who had been concussed showed superior performance in working memory and verbal reasoning skills.”
To be clear, these results do not include professional athletes, who may still experience long-term problems from concussions.
“The NFL is a different story. You have 400-pound guys running into guys. In high school you have young kids and they’re just playing and having fun,” said coach and father Charles Johnston, a Worcester resident.
The study’s researchers say it could be great news for people to know that the benefits of participating in community sports likely outweigh the risks of concussion.
When it comes to youth sports, parents and coaches already agree.
“The kids make lots of new friends and become more confident in themselves,” Llanos said.
To read the full survey, click here.
This is an ongoing story, so check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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