We watched the first Concussion story. It is hard for people to understand the invisible symptoms.

In my daughters case

Video tape posted to Facebook showed the inappropriate wrestling required at girl's lacrosse practice by the coach. Her head injury happen during this with probable loss of consciousness. She was gotten up off ground and taken to ATC, Concussion test showed (4) points below her baseline. THe Athletic Trainer sent her back onto to the field to tell her coach. back out on field to tell my coach. The school did not contact parents. Her ride home that day was two 16 yr. old players who's car battery died and no one was around to help. They called 1 1/2 hours after head injury reporting dead battery and that she was acting funny.
Another head injury in school 5 weeks later, resulted in being exempt from year end.

When she returned to pre-season field hockey and was concussion tested by school's ATC's boss, results 3 points below her baseline and not reported to my family and was keep playing and relapsed with symptoms. Still the below baseline was not reported to us, A different School's coach emailed that maybe it was dehydration, and asked to take another concussion test. These results one week later showed a perfect 30/30 score now 8 point increase from one week before and 5 points above my baseline. A statically impossible.THe manual showed there is a slight learning curve of 1point increase with a retake of test within 48 hours.

Shortly later, we had her tested by an outside concussion specialist. Test showed she was back to where she had been right after the 1st concussion. It was recommended she be home bound for her education and ended up missed a 134 days of school. Part time attendance the following two years.

I provide the school with the video of the practice, the rules/procedure not followed, the fact that the Athletic Trainer did not have copy of the concussion manual user guidelines school's. The school has refused to pay for medical bills stating they did nothing wrong. The Joint Commissioner Office is currently investing the actions of the Atheltic Trainer and oer boss.

The Superintendent response to us came a year later. He said," With respect to our athletic teams, we are committed to ensuring we provide opportunities for our students with their skill levels along with qualified individuals who adhere to District protocols. I appreciate your position that you are not satisfied with your daughter's experience with Lacrosse, and that is most unfortunate. However, I am satisfied that the District is consistently reviewing and modifying our methods to enhance out athletic opportunities while being mindful and responsible to the safety of our students."

To view video and story of above go to You Tube

Concussion PSA - HS Girl's Varsity lacrosse practice - coach requires girls to wrestle

I'm looking forward to watching the upcoming program on the Full 90 Sports Head Gear. I'm a Certified Athletic Trainer and have evaluated many concussions over the years and would be curious to hear the study results from this head device.

For all the coaches & parents of the world, there's a great app which is available to assist you with the recognition of concussion signs & symptoms. The app was developed by Par, Inc and is called: Concussion Recognition & Response (CRR). It goes through a series of check lists to assist with the recognition of a concussion in minutes. It'll also offers symptom monitoring, post-injury guidelines and the ability to email results from the test to you physician, school athletic trainer or anyone you so choose. It's really a great app that's worth purchasing for anyone with or working around kids. Here's the link: crr.parinc.com.

Athletictrainer4hire.com is a free service dedicated to assisting sporting event coordinators in locating qualified and certified athletic trainers to provide medical coverage at sporting events or venues nationwide.

Here's a link to the Concussion Recognition & Response (CRR) app:

NBC needs to talk about the other & better product in the market that protects soccer players, ForceField FF Headbands - www.forcefieldheadbands.com

The ForceField Headband has a polymeric material that absorbs and disipates the impact on a collission...it utilizes a much higher level of protective material than that of the Full 90 (foam).

Also, you don't have to fight with your players to wear it. It is a padded sweatband that kids are willing to wear than than that helmet looking Full90. It also absorbs perspiration, so you don't have sweat pouring over your face during a game.

The cost for the ForceField Headband is $12.50 online and you can customize it with your team logo on the front. Much more affordable for clubs, leagues, and teams to afford.

NBC needs to acknowledge that a better product is out there!

NBC needs to stop attacking a product that is at least trying to help the situation, and place blame where blame is due. Parents need to pull their kids from the sport if they sustain repeated injury due to playing it, not blame the headband for its "false sense of security".

Crasche has a protective hat that has been used in girls lacrosse and by soccer players including goalies. It may be appropriate for anyone who plays soccer that has sustained an injury.

It looks and fits just like a ski hat and has protective elements inside that are impact resistant. Check out the website at www.crasche.com

Are you kidding me? This bull@!$%# is what you choose to report while children are being killed by the dozen in Syria and Israelis are burning the homes and businesses of immigrants (and suggesting they be put in to "camps").

This is how one avoids concussions from playing soccer: don't play soccer. Or, if you do, don't head the @!$%#ing ball. How monumentally stupid are these people? This show is pablum for disconnected, self-absorbed suburban moms.

Excellent, another segment on concussions in girls soccer in which they make no mention of the need for having an appropriate medical professional trained in the diagnosis and treatment of concussions on the sideline so kids don't go back in the game while still having symptoms but instead make it sound like the most dangerous sport in the world. While all concussions can not be prevented, having an athletic trainer can prevent many of the devastating results that follow an athlete not coming out of the game after one or coming back before a concussion has fully healed. They don't make any mention of an athletic trainer (and "trainer" doesn't count either). We really need to focus on the education of all medical professionals and make it a point to have them readily accessible for all levels (recreation, club, middle, high school) of any sport.

The show was a great way to bring an awareness to concussions in girls soccer. As a current college soccer player (who wears head gear) I think there is a piece of this story that people are not aware of. Wearing head gear does in fact raise the confidence level of athletes, but it does so in a good way. In soccer, if you jump up against another player to win a header WITHOUT confidence, your chance of a concussion is much greater. Being hesitant causes you to relax your muscles in your neck and shoulders as you decide to go for the header or to back off. This puts you in an extremely vulnerable position as not a muscle in your body is ready for any type of impact. However, with the head gear on, you will go for a header with much more confidence. You jump up without a hesitation and you will see your arms are tensed and guarding you body (keeping the opposing player farther away from your head). Your neck and shoulders are also preparing for the impact of the ball. If you go up with complete confidence you are focusing only on hitting the ball - and you will. The girl in the segment of TV must have been prone to concussions as some girls are. If you are constantly hitting an opposing players head that means YOU are doing something wrong. YOU are not preparing for impact properly. She did get hit in the back of the head below the headgear which is just bad luck. To me the head gear has been great I had concussions before the head gear but after I wore it I learned how to jump and prepare for impact properly - along with much more positive confidence.

Natasha Helmick, your gorgeous!

My daughter was playing college soccer when she was hit in the head , while heading a ball, from the opposing team player. She sustained a concussion and over 50 stitches. She suffered through headaches, memory loss and depression. After several months she dropped out of college. Her life was changed in an instant because there are not any precautions in place for head injuries in Soccer. If my daughter would have had a head band on her injury would have been minimal. She may have graduated from college and be an independent, healthy individual today. Sport organizations are negligent in finding ways to decrease head injuries. Rules of the game need to be Inforced to reduce fowl play and safe products that reduce head injury need to be a part of the sport uniform. Continue to investigate.

jj26: I completely agree with the confidence. Without confidence you are more likely to go in for a bad header and are more likely to receive an injury. However, there is something to be said for using proper technique as well. You have to keep your neck locked. In the video clips they showed tonight, the girl's neck was relaxed and loose and she hit the ball with the top of her head - not an appropriate way to head the ball. The power needs to come from the core, with the neck muscles stiffened and the arms out for protection. It does not matter what you wear on your head if you go in incorrectly.

That being said, the headgear is great. There are many different brands out there that offer different looks and different levels of protection. As a former player, current referee and coach, I suggest to my parents that they require their daughters to wear something to soften the blows and I always teach them proper technique. We cover neck and core strengthening in our workouts. Parents and coaches both need to become more aware of technique and enforcing good technique.

No, you often cannot avoid some collisions - they happen in all contact sports. Meta World Peace, I am sure, gave whoever he elbowed a concussion from the force. I have friends who have gotten concussions from hockey, lacrosse, football, basketball, soccer, skiing, and rugby. Strengthen yourself and you are less likely to be hurt. It really is that simple. Know what you are doing and train for it.

This seems to be a common theme in sports today, highlight the fear and possibility of an injury while playing sports, and open the door for a incredibly lucrative market for "safety equipment" that does not have data that proves it actually reduces injuries.

Soccer is not the only sport that is being exposed to "safety equipment" that has not been proven or tested to actually prevent injuries. High school field hockey players across the country were mandated to play with goggles to prevent eye injuries costing between $25-$65 a pair. These goggles were never tested on field hockey players. In many cases the goggles have shown to increase injuries (goggleinjury.com). The NCAA is even joining the charge and is discussing the mandate of eye wear to be worn by all collegiate field hockey players. Yet, injury data used to support a potential mandate does not study other factors that play into eye/head injuries such as field surface, rules and technique. This would be like investigating a 3 car pile up and not considering road conditions, traffic signals or operator error. Why are players being mandated to wear equipment that might actually be doing more harm than good? Why is the data collected not forced to be comprehensive?

The market for "injury preventative equipment" is only going to grow and instill a false security to parents and players putting them at possible increased risk, if regulations to test the effectiveness of that equipment and comprehensive studies of injuries are not better regulated. I am all for equipment that will protect athletes and reduce injuries, but lets make sure it actually does so before it is mandated.

This is a growing problem and I encourage you to continue to explore this issue.

Just one more way for some corrupt Republican corporates to make a buck off the 99% American People! If you look at past history of the elderly that developed Alzheimer's, you'll see their condition didn't come from contact sports!

I have an idea here...How about better coaching and understanding how you are supposed to play the game? I have played competitive soccer from youth to collegiate and semi-pro levels. I have seen precisely 1 person sustain a concussion and that was from falling on hard ground after a jump. These injuries are completely avoidable if coaches taught players how to play the game properly instead of this ridiculous style of over-aggression and ultra-physical play.

The point is that the more the protection the more agressive the play. Look at pro football. My grandniece receive a gratuitous elbow to the temple play soccer. She is now relearning to walk after spending much time in hospital. Any protection should be designed for protection from serious injury but to not encourage extra agression.

She don't date guys that don't know the difference between "your" and "you're", even with a concussion.

The problem with almost all protective gear is that it results in more aggressive play that ultimately results in more injuries not less. Look at football...the helmets have become weapons. The hits have gotten more violent as the padding has increased. It appears that the number of paralyzing injuries in football has increased with the increase in "protective" gear.

A functional perspective rather than simply tracking symptoms is the direction that we should be taking. Symptoms are not always reliable and single tests don't necessarily capture the reality of situation. Think of brain like a bunch of different muscles. If you test a bicep it tells you about the bicep but nothing about a leg muscle. Likewise, various objective measures should be used to track function of brain. Some tests that we include at myFASTbrain and should be available to most people include ImPACT testing, balance testing with posturography, eye function testing with VNG and Interactive Metronome. Look at HOW the brain is performing before return to play. And above all else it is ridiculous not to get baseline testing done so you have something to go by in the event of an injury.

Girls playing soccer is huge. It is also incredibly dangerous. It is great that you are identifying a problem, but it seems that the reporting is more intent on discouraging solutions. Girls have virtually no safety gear in this sport and along comes a concerned parent with a great intention to offer at least one tool and the focus is on only what may be negative factors, rather than on the positive. Reading other comments tell me there are positives, especially from some of the coaches. It seems to me that the way coaches could integrate safety gear and teach their kids how to play the game more safely and responsibly, should be the focus. The powers that be in CHILDRENS soccer should take heed: if a headgear that can help to avert at least some injury is available, it should be a useful tool; if some view it that the headgear allows them to be SO aggressive that children are being hurt further,something is WRONG. The rules that allow that level of aggression should be checked. The little girl in your piece, who appeared to be about 8, said it all, when she excitedly explained that aggression is what the coaches are looking for. There is responsible aggression and there is dangerous aggression. I wonder if an 8 year old can understand the difference. Responsible coaching is the best hope. Responsible advocates of the game should advocate the use of any safety gear that can be a tool to reduce injury, including the neck exercises AND headgear and focus on the negative attitudes and aspects of the game itself that cause the actual harm. I would like to see the series continue and focus on encouraging solutions in terms of the use of safety gear and the actual structure and system of youth soccer.

On the show last night they said that there are neck strengthening exercises on the website. I can't find them. Can someone, please, tell me how to find them? Thanks!

Why don't they quit the hard-edged sporting MAFIA games? School isn't about getting snatched up to PLAY for other people! When the gambling law was broken, MAFIA rose KIDS become fodder for their entertainment - little girl, little boy hookers, children jumping into bed with each other trying to discern what BENT they have in life - all because NASTY in bed with "Authority". Authority pays your children for their bodies in war, and pays for the bodies if they are 'acceptable' enough in the high school performance. What a world to aspire to be owned by Authority when one grows up, if they ever do!

But parents keep sending your Prescious Children to be raised by a STATE Ran Governmental institution - who now has taken over any moral or ethical responsibility in raising your children - BECAUSE YOU CAN'T - YOU HAVE to pay people to raise them...poor little robotic children.

Function or how the brain is working is key. That is, baseline testing is an absolute must. Moreover, if we think of brain as a bunch of muscles. Each muscle needs to be tested differently. A thermometer is a great test for temperature but tells us nothing about our cholesterol. Therefore, looking at as many windows into the present function of the brain is a rational approach as a starting point. The more you know about your child's present level of function the better you are equiped to be pro-active in concussion management. In other words, find the weaker "brain muscles", strengthen the weaker "brain muscles" and don't let them return to play post concussion until they have re-established appropriate functional baseline scores.

Sorry to repost, it didnt do what I thought it was going to do....

What in the world are you talking about Roberta? That has nothing to do with anything. Nothing about Sports, Soccer, Headgear or Concussions. Crazy person.

Anywho, back on the topic of Concussions and Headgear. Im still recovering from a concussion back in October 2011 in my college game. I slide tackled the goalie going for the ball, totally legal slide tackle as I made contact with the ball. But The Goalie's knee made contact with my forehead, and I slammed my head back on the turf and was knocked unconscious for 1.5 min to 2 min. I had amnesia for about 48 hours cause of it. Ive taken the imPACT 6 times and only 1 testing point is off and have to have a Neuro Psych test done to hopefully go back to sports. Ive asked my concussion doctor and he said the same thing about the headgear as the doctor in the article, there is no clear protection against a concussion. It more than likely will give a "Superman Effect". Which if you've only had 1 concussion or none, that can be a bad effect to have. You'd be putting yourself in much more danger with the headgear than you were without it.

Like in the first airing, they showed you should learn how to head the ball correctly. Its not going to stop a concussion from happening, but it'll lessen the impact you get from heading the ball. Cause I know heading the ball on the top of your head hurts a lot more than heading it in line with your eyebrow or just above it. Same with creating space. Instead of running with arms up, which is an invite for other players to bring their arms up, run with your arms down. That will invite them to go should to shoulder more often than elbow to elbow.

And like someone said above, teach em right =) Im a utility player, and I play goalie. Cant tell you how many times ive been kicked in the head or hit my head on the ground while diving. So teaching correct technique is a must for any and all positions. Protecting your head is a must.

But I disagree with spending $30, $40, $50 and upwards of that for headgear that isnt proven to decrease the chance of a concussion. And I dont mean decrease it by 1% or 2% Im talking more like 25% or more. Preferably in the more. Ive had 3 ACL tears and ive worn the braces. The braces didnt protect completely against tearing my ACL again, only a small chance, but it protected against tearing other ligaments as well that wouldve been just as painful.

Thats just my opinion. =)