Doctors have ‘ethical obligation’ to protect athletes from concussion

The American Academy of Neurology has released a new position paper that states doctors have an ethical obligation to educate and protect athletes from sports concussion and only give an athlete the "all-clear" to play when medically ready.

Aug. 23, 2013 Medical News Today

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the largest professional association of neurologists and the leading trusted authority in managing sportsconcussion, have resisted opposition from players, parents and coaches and published the position statement in their online medical journal,Neurology.

The statement has been released ahead of The Sports Concussion Conference taking place July 11-13, 2014, in Chicago, IL, where AAN will present up-to-date scientific developments in the diagnosis and treatment of sports concussion.

According to the AAN, concussion is a form of brain injury, which can happen when the head:

Hits an object, or a moving object strikes the head
Experiences a sudden force without being hit directly.

In the US, there are 1.6-3.8 million concussions annually that occur as a result of injury from sport. Currently, concussions account for nearly 9% of all US high school sports injuries. In most cases, concussion results in full recovery, yet some can cause more severe damage.