Michael Roub on Advancements in Head Injury Prevention

(Newswire.net — November 11, 2016) Calabasas, CA — Youth sports are a great way to expand the education of young people, but participating in such sports can lead to devastating head injuries. Healthcare executive Michael Roub knows how life-changing such head injuries can be; as a career business leader in the medical management field, he has seen children and young adults who struggle with recovery after sports head injuries. Recent media attention on preventing head injuries in youth sports has spurred several companies to begin marketing protective headgear specifically for girls, especially in the sporting discipline of lacrosse. “The organizing body called U.S. Lacrosse came out with standards for protective headgear in women’s lacrosse,” says Michael. “Several states and dozens of high school athletics associations have agreed to adopt those standards in order to protect sporting participants.” To learn more about his professional career, visit http://michaelroub.tumblr.com

While male lacrosse players have been required to wear helmets for years, women’s sports lagged behind. Florida was the first state in the U.S. to require protective headgear for girls playing lacrosse, enacting the law in 2015. Athletes will not be required to wear approved headgear until 2018, however, and this can lead to unnecessary injuries. “Florida delayed implementation of the rule to allow companies to develop protective headgear that met all safety guidelines,” adds Michael. “For now, players are wearing headgear that offers little or no protection.” Currently, many female lacrosse players are wearing headbands and goggles to comply with the letter, if not the spirit, of the current law. These thin headbands and simple goggles do not offer any measurable protection against stick-to-head or ball-to-head contact, two injury pathways that hard-shell helmets were developed to address.

 

Critics of the headgear requirement have stated that the cost of helmets could prohibit girls from participating in sports, while others suggest that requiring helmets will increase the aggressive nature of competition. In several studies, however, players took quickly to the headgear, and many parents reported that they felt their children were safer while participating in athletic activities with the protective headgear in place. Still, proponents of increased safety in youth sports face challenges as standards are adopted and new equipment becomes available. Michael Roub is all too familiar with the costs of treating head injuries from his years managing medical practices in the United States. “The cost of a protective helmet is a tiny fraction of what it might cost to treat a serious head injury,” adds Michael. “Protecting our children from sports injuries makes both moral and financial sense.” For more information on Michael, visit https://www.pinterest.com/michaelroub