As Mid-southerners enjoy another football season, spectators get used to seeing injuries as simply “part of the game”.  After a particularly hard hit in football, a player may seem “woozy” or said to have had his “bell rung.”

Football players are not the only athletes who are at risk for suffering these head injuries.  Athletes in traditional non-contact sports such as soccer, cheerleading, track and field, baseball, and volleyball are also at risk.

“Women’s soccer has a risk of head injury per participant that is almost equal to that of college football” said Allen Sills, MD, a member of the Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee.
“Children of all ages are at risk for head injuries whether they are playing in the backyard, playground, or in organized youth leagues or high school settings.”

As with many medical conditions, prevention is an important and effective way to minimize the impact of head injuries.  Protective head gear is probably the single best investment a parent can make to reduce the risk of injury for their child.

“A helmet should always be worn when bicycling, playing softball, baseball, hockey, and winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding” said Sills.  “Parents should set an example by making sure that they are wearing helmets when they participate in these activities with their children.”

Other prevention strategies include proper technique and strengthening.  In football, players should be taught to block or tackle only with their head in a neutral position where they can see their target and never with the head down parallel to the ground or used as a spear.  Strong neck muscles are also important as children compete at higher levels and older ages since due to increased size and speed of the participants, the velocity of collisions will increase.  If the neck muscles are strong and flexible, they will help to dissipate some of the forces that are associated with blows near the top of the head.

Recognition that an injury has occurred remains a challenge.  “Many people think that a player has to lose consciousness in order to suffer a concussion” notes Sills.  “In reality, a concussion simply means a temporary alteration in brain function.”  This may show up as confusion, severe headache, blurring of vision, unsteadiness, sensitivity to light or noise, or dizziness.  If any of these symptoms appear after a blow to the head, then the athlete should be removed from competition and examined by qualified medical personnel.

“Athletes who are less than 18 years of age should not return to compete in the same game if they have suffered a concussion at any point during that game” advises Dr. Sills.

Symptoms that last more than a few minutes need to be evaluated by a physician and may require the input of a sports medicine specialist.  Any loss of consciousness that exceeds one minute or is associated with a seizure mandates immediate transport to an Emergency Room for emergent medical evaluation.  If the athlete is unresponsive or unconscious, one must also assume that a neck injury may have occurred and be sure that medical personnel take proper steps to immobilize the neck to prevent further injury.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in the management of sports-related concussions in the past few years has been the introduction of computerized neuro-cognitive testing.  This 15-minute test, done on a simple desktop computer, measures objective variables such as verbal and visual memory, reaction time and processing speed.  Each of these variables can be affected by a head injury and will show significant and predictable decreases in level of performance after such an injury.  Once the athlete’s performance has returned to their expected baseline, then one can safely assume that the athlete has recovered from the effects of the concussion.  “The use of the computerized neuron-cognitive test eliminates the problem of relying on the athlete to report whether or not they have any remaining symptoms” notes Sills.  “By nature, athletes are competitive individuals and they often will minimize their symptoms in an attempt to return to play as soon as possible.  This test allows us an objective way to determine if the athlete is truly ready to return to play in a safe fashion.”

Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute offers a comprehensive evaluation of all athletes who suffer sports related head and spine injuries.  Computerized neuropsychological testing is available on an outpatient basis as well as more comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation for those who suffer lingering effects from either sports or non-sports head injuries affecting school or job performance.

Sills serves as a consulting team neurosurgeon to the Memphis Grizzlies, The University of Memphis Athletic teams, Mississippi State University athletic teams, as well as numerous other high schools and colleges.
To schedule an evaluation, please contact

Semmes-Murphey at 901-522-4949 for an appointment.

Dr. Allan Sills - Upon graduating from Mississippi State University, Dr. Sills completed medical school, neurosurgery residency, and a neuro-oncology fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  Dr. Sills is board certified in neurological surgery and an active member of the Memphis sports community.