Abstract

In sport, no injury is cloudier than concussion, and few are as catastrophic. Often though, the identification of concussion does not take place. While cases that involve a loss of consciousness are easily recognized to someone with an untrained eye, subtle concussion cases are not. For years, many people have used the labels bell-ringer or ding to describe the effects of a subtle blow to the head. This has led to the popular assumption that such momentary states of confusion or disorientation are not reasons to be concerned. This, however, is not the case. No matter the severity, concussion is more than an injury; it is a silent killer. Every year, an estimated 300,000 sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States1 with high school football players suffering nearly one quarter of those injuries.2 Concussion is not isolated to football though, and it is also not isolated to boys. By the time their high school playing career is complete, more than 60