| By :
Ryan Weisgerber
Many teams at high school, college and NFL levels employ the abilities of the doctor of chiropractic in their team function. By educating the young athletes at high school level or even younger, you have the potential of preventing serious or catastrophic head, neck and spinal injuries. Most of the catastrophic injuries will occur to compression of the cervical spine. Many of these injuries can be prevented by teaching the player that he should not perform a tackle or block with the head bent. Do not use a helmet block. This technique will cause a great deal of pressure and surpass the ability of the spine, surrounding ligaments and muscle to absorb the jolt of the play. Education must begin with the athlete. The player should be encouraged to keep their head up on contact and not to use the helmet as the primary contact. They should also be performing strengthening and conditioning exercises for the neck and muscles that surround the cervical spine. Although their mind may be on the play, they should also concentrate on the proper procedures necessary to prevent injuries whether minor or catastrophic. The coaching staff of the team should also be taught. A healthy exchange of information with the coaching staff can give the chiropractor the knowledge needed to conduct a beneficial team meeting with the players. First, they need to know what the staff knows about body mechanics and technique. Then a meeting with the entire team should be in order. During that meeting, there are points that need to be discussed including the muscle building exercises that are necessary to maintain the integrity of the cervical spine. This should also include some training for flexibility as well. By having properly fitted helmets on each player, some injuries can be less severe or prevented. Messages such as protect your neck, don't contact with your helmet, keep your head up and don't use your head as a piece of equipment in a football game. Parents should also be included in these training sessions. By presenting a program that will assist in the accomplishment of a safe football game, much injury and issues can be avoided. Parents can encourage their students to perform the proper exercises and give reminders as they leave for the game. Educating the players, parents and staff can actually reduce the liability of the team. No helmet can prevent all spine and brain injuries, but if the team emphasizes the mandatory sticker on the helmet as a teaching tool, many injuries can be avoided. The sticker reads "Warning. Do not strike an opponent with any part of this helmet or mask. This is violation of football rules and may cause you to suffer severe brain or neck injuries, including paralysis or death" Emphasize also that injuries can occur quite accidentally.
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