Serious risks are associated with continuing game play immediately after incurring a concussion, yet 天美影视传媒 researchers found that many young female soccer players do just that.

Dr. John O鈥橩ane, UW professor of orthopedics and sports medicine, and Dr. Melissa Schiff, professor of epidemiology and director of education at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, had parents make weekly online reports about any concussion symptoms their daughters experienced. They determined that a majority of players stayed on the field after experiencing concussion symptoms, and half never sought medical care.

The findings are reported Jan. 20 in. The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

鈥淯nlike a sprained ankle, concussion symptoms like a headache or dizziness often don鈥檛 physically prevent an athlete from continuing play, even though they鈥檙e putting themselves at risk by doing so,鈥� O鈥橩ane said.

Part of the problem may be that many concussed players don鈥檛 recognize symptoms. Concentration problems, headache, and dizziness were the most commonly reported symptoms in the study. More obvious symptoms, such as loss of consciousness, were least common.

Playing through concussion makes people more vulnerable to getting hit again, and having longer and more severe symptoms. A second blow can cause a rare condition known as second-impact syndrome, which can result in severe injury or death. Second-impact syndrome typically occurs in people under 20, O鈥橩ane said.

He and Schiff found a higher rate of concussion among middle school soccer players than has been reported among high school and college soccer players.

鈥淵oung athletes who get a concussion tend to underreport or minimize it because they don鈥檛 want to be taken out of play,鈥� Schiff said. 鈥淯nless they tell their coach about it, coaches often aren鈥檛 aware of what happened.鈥�

Luckily for Kristina Serres, a high school soccer player, her coach noticed she was feeling disoriented after back-to-back impacts and took her off the field immediately.

鈥淚 felt dizzy and disoriented, and was wobbling around,鈥� Serres said. 鈥淢y mom said I was slurring my words and would stop in the middle of what I was saying.鈥�

The next day, she went to the UW Medicine Sports Medicine Center, where O鈥橩ane diagnosed a concussion and prescribed rest.

Serres had experienced two types of head blows common in soccer: a collision with another player and redirecting the ball with her head. Schiff and O鈥橩ane found that, among study participants, more than half received concussions from contact with another player, and 30 percent occurred when players headed the ball.

Findings are mixed about whether heading causes concussion. The researchers speculated that heading may pose a greater risk to the middle school players due to factors related to their development, such as less neck strength and less mature brains, and poorer heading technique.

鈥淚t may be beneficial to teach proper heading techniques to younger players, and there may be situations where those players shouldn鈥檛 head the ball,鈥� O鈥橩ane said.

Schiff and O鈥橩ane emphasized the crucial role education plays in preventing concussed players like Serres from returning to the game and reinjuring themselves.

鈥淲e need more education for children, as well as parents and coaches, about what a concussion is and what the consequences can be if it isn鈥檛 taken seriously,鈥� Schiff said.

Note to reporters: A copy of the JAMA Pediatrics paper is available to the news media at

Note to readers: The citation for the scientific paper is: JAMA Pediatr. 2014; doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4518.

This week the newest UW Medicine Sports Medicine Center opened its doors to the community.

The clinic, housed at the south end of Husky Stadium, relocated from its old spot next to Edmundson Pavillion. The move-out took only three days, but the project began in late 2010.

The new location 鈥� and spacious 30,000 square foot facility 鈥� makes coming to appointments and treatment sessions more convenient for patients, because their doctors, surgeons, physical therapists, radiologists, and other sports medicine specialists are now gathered underneath the same roof.

鈥淚鈥檓 extremely excited to work with this amazing group of physicians,鈥� said Dr. Mark Harrast, medical director of the new center.聽 鈥淥ur new location enables us to provide an even higher level of care using a collaborative, team-based approach.鈥� Harrast is a UW clinical associate professor of rehabilitation medicine and of orthopedics and sports medicine.

The new facility offers the same treatment and care options as the other three UW Medicine sports medicine clinics, as well as special services, including an expanded Physical Therapy Clinic and Sports Cardiology and Running Medicine programs. The center is home to a brand-new Sports Performance Center where injured athletes can undergo rehabilitation and healthy athletes can work on 鈥減rehab鈥� strategies to prevent sports injury and improve performance.

One of the features of the Exercise Performance Center is an anti-gravity treadmill. The treadmill works by decreasing an athlete鈥檚 body weight during running, tthereby taking pressure off the legs. Small cameras at the base of the treadmill allow runners to see their own stride on a large television screen as they run. The treadmill is used for rehabilitation after injury, as well as for training

Other therapies featured are platelet-rich plasma treatment for chronic tendon injuries, and musculoskeletal ultrasound for diagnosing muscle and tendon injuries, as well as treating these injuries with ultrasound-guided injections.

The specialists at the new center treat anyone with a passion for activity, from recreation enthusiasts to college athletes like the UW Huskies and professionals like the Seattle鈥檚 Seahawks and Mariners.

鈥淓ven though our physicians treat high-performing athletes, we are also here for the weekend warrior and the general public,鈥� said Harrast. 鈥淎nyone with activity-related pain, be it from hiking, gardening, golf, or running a marathon, is welcome to see us.鈥�

Other UW Medicine sports medicine care locations include Harborview Medical Center, the UW Medical Center at Roosevelt, and the Eastside Specialty Center in Bellevue.

The Sports Medicine Center at Husky Stadium is holding an open house for the general public from 1-3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19. Parking will be free. Come to the South Entrance of Husky Stadium and proceed up to the first floor.

Anyone who tries to play 鈥渟mash-mouth football鈥� against the UW this fall will find the Huskies fully prepared, thanks to a little help from School of Dentistry faculty, students and staff.

This summer, Department of Pediatric Dentistry residents took dental impressions for members of the Husky football team at the UW athletic department. The impressions were used to fabricate about 100 customized mouth guards at The Center for Pediatric Dentistry.

Dr. Nestor Cohenca, professor of endodontics and an adjunct professor at The Center for Pediatric Dentistry, led the project.

He and School of Dentistry lab technician Rich Lee, who worked on his own time, fabricated the mouth guards, with the help of Pediatric Dentistry residents. Cohenca delivered and customized them afterward. Dentistry staff also helped to organize the materials.

鈥淥ur football athletes will be very well protected and perform at their best athletic capabilities,鈥� Cohenca said.

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