Concussions and Brain Injuries in Youth Sports.

4Symptoms may appear mild but the injury can lead to life-long problems with physical function, concentration, memory, behavior, and emotion. Tragically, among high-school football athletes there were eight fatalities directly related to brain injuries in the 2013 season. 5 At present, all fifty states have sports concussion laws modeled after the 2009 law in Washington that resulted from Zackery Lystedt’s tragedy. Every law includes three components: education about the nature and risk of concussion and head injury for coaches, athletes, and parents/guardians; removal from play after a suspected concussion; and return to play with the approval of a trained and licensed practitioner. 6