Concussions Part 3: Girl's Testimony Helps Change Concussion Practices in Youth Sports

Editor's Note: This story is the last in a three-part series examining the new state law on sports-related concussions in Minnesota youth sports. Read Wednesday's and Thursday's .

Kayla Meyer has trouble reading.

At age 15, she needs reading glasses to combat a disorder called “conversion syndrome,” which makes it hard for her to keep her place while reading books or browsing the Internet.

Meyer, who played girls hockey at New Prague High School, developed her condition as an eighth-grader in 2009, after sustaining two concussions 10 months apart while practicing the game.

Since then, Meyer said she has constant headaches, which vary in their severity. She hasn’t played competitive hockey for almost two years because it hurts just to wear a helmet. Meyer also missed about 80 days of school during the eighth and ninth grades.

During the 2011 legislative session, Meyer testified three times on behalf of the Brain Association of Minnesota before the Minnesota Legislature to help pass a law that would help prevent situations like hers.

Hockey “was my life basically,” Meyer said. “I don’t want kids to go through the same thing.”

Sen. Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake) and Rep. Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake) were chief authors of the bill, which was signed into law in May. The law requires coaches and officials of high school and youth sports to go through concussion-awareness training. It also prevents athletes who have been diagnosed with a concussion from participating in future games without getting medical permission.

The law went into effect for high schools in mid-August and youth leagues Sept. 1.

Activities Director Neil Strader said he's in favor of the new law.

"It's a great law. No level of youth sports is too low for this," he said. "It’s a step in the right direction."

Concussions are possible in all sports, although football is the most prevalent. According to a study by Dr. Leslie Seymour and Jon Roesler at the Minnesota Department of Health, football tops the list nationally for the most concussions per season. Girls soccer, boys soccer, girls basketball and wrestling round out the top five nationally, according to the study.

The Minnesota State High School League has set up a database to keep track of which coaches and officials have completed the training, said Craig Perry, the league’s associate director. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides the training, which takes about 45 minutes to complete online.

The high school league already had required that players gain medical clearance before returning to play, but the new law now extends that requirement to youth leagues. That makes the Minnesota law unique, said David King, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota.

Because many youth league coaches and officials are volunteers with little or no medical background, they need all the information they can get, King said.

They “are the ones that need this information, because this isn’t their vocation,” King said. “They’re out there out of the goodness of their hearts. We just want them to be armed with the information they need to keep everyone safe.”

Brent Millikin, president of the Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association, said trainers and coaches alike favor of the law because it gives them the power of the law to take a young athlete out of the game. Now, it’s harder for a parent or a coach to pressure a trainer or medical professional to push an athlete into the game before it’s safe.

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan public school district uses baseline tests that measure a young athlete's cognitive state. If a concussion is suspected, the test is one of many tools used to determine whether a student has a concussion.

Doug Nelson, a certified athletic trainer for Eastview High School, said parents have been receptive to the new law, and so have students. He tells athletes that he wants them to play, but that he also doesn't want to put them at risk.

The new law doesn’t aim to prevent concussions altogether, King said, but to control the damage after a concussion has been sustained.

“It’s that second concussion where the real problems occur,” King said. “That’s the preventable brain injuries that we’re after.”

Wednesday (Part I):
Thursday (Part II):
Friday (PART III): How one young woman’s testimony helped get the law passed, and how it affects youth sports