UNCG Dr. Wyrick and Dr. Milroy Leading the Way in Concussion Research and Intervention
Today, if you are sports fan, it is hard not be acutely aware of sport related concussions (SRC). The prevalence and seriousness of sports related concussions (SRC) is gaining national attention. Nevertheless, while in the United States “nearly 4 million SRC’s are reported by youth annually, more than 50% of potential SRCs are unreported”, notes Dr. Jeffery Milroy, Associate Director of the Institute to Promote Athlete Health & Wellness at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The reasons why athletes do not report the signs and symptoms of concussions are complex. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Department of Public Health, Dr. Jeffery Milroy and Dr. David Wyrick, are leading the way in furthering our understanding of SRC reporting among high school and collegiate student-athletes. Milroy and Wyrick were recently chosen as recipients of a $400,000 NCAA-Department of Defense (DOD) Mind Matters Challenge research grant seeking innovative research to change concussion safety behaviors and the culture of concussion reporting and management by collegiate student-athletes.
Meeting National Needs
The research Drs. Milroy and Wyrick have proposed could not be timelier. Within the past few months, the St. Louis Rams caused controversy after quarterback Case Keenum was immediately put back into the game against the Ravens after sustaining a serious concussion when he was thrown to the turf by a Ravens’ defender. Also, college players Baker Mayfield from the Oklahoma Sooners and Caleb Rowe from the Maryland Terrapins were both put back into play after hits resulting in head injury and concussion. Lest we forget NHL tough guy, Todd Ewen, who lost his battle with depression and committed suicide. Ewen was just one of a number of “tough guys” to die from what researchers believe to be due to repeated blows to the head that cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease.
Creating a Culture of Care Seeking in Athletics
Even when the consequences are evident, why are so many injured athletes still choosing not to report their symptoms to their parents, coaches, or medical professionals? Clearly this is a question in need of an answer. To address this issue, as recipients of the NCAA and DOD’s Mind Matters Challenge research grant, Drs. Milroy and Wyrick will conduct research that will enhance the safety of student-athletes by examining the relationship between intrapersonal and sociocultural variables and concussion disclosure among collegiate student-athletes. With the support of the grant, Milroy and Wyrick will be able to use an innovative methodology that will allow them to develop and test the efficacy of web-based behavioral intervention modules on concussion reporting attitudes and behaviors of NCAA student-athletes. According to Dr. Milroy “the more we know about the specific psychosocial/sociocultural reasons why athletes choose to report or not report symptoms of a concussion to a coach or other athletic personnel, the better we will be able to develop and disseminate effective and evidence-based programming in hopes of cultivating a culture in athletics that is supportive of athlete health and wellness and not solely a win at all cost culture”.
One Win for a Healthy Future
The alarming number of athletes dealing with serious health impacts from SRC, for sometimes a lifetime, is surely a cost that the sports world can no longer tolerate. Thankfully, collaborations like that between the NCAA, DOD, and researchers Dr. Milroy and Dr. Wyrick will shape a healthier future for all athletes by fostering a culture of safety and well being through grounded research and practice. This certainly is something that every sports fan can celebrate.