Concussions and Our Kids: America's Leading Expert on How to Protect Young Athletes and Keep Sports Safe [Kindle Edition]

Robert Cantu (Author), Mark Hyman (Author)

Book Description

From Washington to Quebec, from offices at the NFL to the New York Times, from the NHL players union to the soccer fields of Anytown, U.S.A., people are talking about concussions. Long believed by experts to be a silent epidemic, concussions are fast becoming the most dominating and important issue in all of sports. At the center of this crisis—and one of the key reasons for this increased awareness—is Dr. Robert Cantu, the country’s leading expert on athletic brain trauma and a pioneer in the study of the link between concussions and progressive brain disease in athletes. He has treated thousands of patients who have experienced brain trauma, from high-profile professional athletes to peewees, including young boys and girls who play soccer, football, lacrosse, hockey, and other sports. And he is on the frontlines of groundbreaking research that is changing the way sports are played.

Concussions and Our Kids is the first prescriptive book of its kind to address the issue of head trauma in sports and provide preventive solutions to protect athletes and give guidelines for the way sports can be played safely. Dr. Cantu and sports journalist Mark Hyman have crafted a book that is part manifesto, part manual, explaining to parents and coaches what head trauma is, why it has become a focus of national attention, and why some practices in youth sports must change. They also outline the measures we can take to protect our children. Readers will learn:

• The signs and symptoms of a concussion
• Three concussion tests parents can give at home
• Concussions and what “rest” really means
• How concussions improperly treated can develop into post-concussion syndrome
• Why total brain trauma (not just the number of concussions) is a risk factor for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
• Why helmets are no guarantee of safety
• Why concussions are prevalent in all sports, not just football and hockey
And more

Addressing what sportswriter Bill Simmons calls “the single most important issue in sports today,” this book is essential reading for parents, coaches, players, and all those interested in young athletes, their safety, and their future well-being.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Throughout this reasoned yet cautionary text, the authors arm readers with critical information... Each sport receives the author's scrutiny as he calls for awareness, honest dialog, and meaningful change...his life-saving message should be mandatory reading for all those involved in kids' sports."

--Publishers Weekly

 

“Neurosurgeon Cantu offers parents, coaches and athletes an authoritative look at concussions...Cantu offers comprehensive research on post-concussion syndrome, second impact syndrome and chronic traumatic encephalopathy....a sober look at a substantial health risk for young and mature athletes.”
- Kirkus Reviews

 

“Concussions have become the most important sports story of the decade, and there is no better person to read on the subject than Dr. Robert Cantu. This book comes along at a crucial time in our national conversation on the dangers of head injuries throughout American sports. It's a well-researched, riveting story that every coach and parent of a young athlete should read."
- Christine Brennan, USA Today sports columnist, ABC News commentator, author of Best Seat in the House

 

“This is an important, cutting edge work, by the premier specialist in his field. If you watch sports, or if you have a young athlete in your family, you need to read this book. It gives the expression, 'seeing stars' a whole new meaning.”
- Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe columnist and author of The Curse of the Bambino and Senior Year

 

“Much of the sports establishment wants players, and their parents, in the dark about concussions. This book shines the light.”
- Gregg Easterbrook, football columnist, ESPN

 

“Bob Cantu and Mark Hyman have been long-time leaders in America, widely disseminating common sense information on concussions in younger athletes; an issue so serious and newsworthy, that it’s warranted front page headlines in major media outlets. With this book, Bob and Mark will not sugarcoat anything; it’s a truly sobering reminder that even our children’s “playtime” can have serious medical and life consequences. If your children—or grandchildren—participate in sports, please read this book; you’ll agree with me afterwards that properly reflecting and acting upon its conclusions will give all these young athletes a better chance to become healthy and active adults.”
- Bob Bigelow, Co-author, Just Let the Kids Play and former NBA First Round Draft Choice and Player

About the Author

Robert Cantu, M.D. is the Chief of Neurosurgery, Chairman Department of Surgery and Director Service of Sports Medicine at Emerson Hospital as well as the Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery and co-director of Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. He also serves as special advisor to the National Football League. Mark Hyman (@sportsparents)  is author of Until It Hurts and The Most Expensive Game in Town. He teaches in the sports management program at George Washington University. 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2462 KB
• Print Length: 192 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (September 18, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006R8PDNS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,648 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone who is involved with young athletes should read this September 1, 2012

By Dr Mike VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a clinical research interest of mine from a military standpoint. So when I saw this book listed on Vine from Robert Cantu, MD and dealing with concussions, I immediately ordered it. This review is for a pre-publication advanced copy, so there may be editorial changes to the final first edition.

This book is not geared to the professional caregiver or scientist, but directly to parents and people who work with kids in athletics, both formally organized or not. The first few chapters deal with some background info on concussions and how they are defined and occur. Next come stories and commentary that distinguishes the traditional collision sports (e.g., football, boxing) from those sports that are considered non-collision. Basically, a concussion is serious however it occurs. I was amazed for example to learn that synchronized swimming has a problem with concussions because of swimmers hitting one another while doing turns and such. Soccer is another sport that causes concussions. I didn't really think about that before. Some of the others mentioned are tennis, cheerleading, baseball, wrestling, skateboarding, and more. While not written for professionals, there are lots of nuggets of useful information here for professionals who speak to the public regarding concussions / TBI. These nuggets of information are also here to educate kids, parents, coaches, trainers, etc.

The next two chapters go into more detail about the brain injury itself and the end result. These are not overly technical, and are perfectly suited for the intended reader.

Next come chapters on Myths, Moms and Dads, and After Concussions. The Myths chapter is nicely laid out with subheadings listing a myth and then the explanation behind it. The Moms and Dads chapter gets right to the questions that parents have about sports and their kids. After Concussions has many stories about specific outcomes for real kids. Most of the stories in the book come directly from Dr. Cantu's patients, and the names and faces of these kids are shown so you can see they are real people.

The last chapter is on Reform. I want to say that the author, Dr. Robert Cantu, has a very pragmatic, practical, and balanced view of kids and sports. He is pro-sports in all respects, but he is also seeing the need to establish standards for protection as well as how to prevent multiple injuries since the cumulative effects of injury are significant. I have great respect for Dr. Cantu's opinions and I think he has written an excellent book. It is easy to read and very informative based on our current state of scientific and medical knowledge.

I do have a couple of suggestions for improvement however. One is that I think an Index might be useful for someone wanting to come back later and look up a specific detail. The second suggestion is to address more of the inner city kids and how they might be more vulnerable to concussions than kids in the suburbs. I'm speaking hear about vulnerability to not getting good post-concussion care due to lack of knowledge, access to medical care, and perhaps cultural and economic barriers. I think hearing from some pro-athletes about what they experienced as teens and what they know now as professional athletes might be interesting. I would imagine the NFL could find a few athletes who would share some stories. But these are just personal suggestions. I think this book is excellent in any case.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Invaluable Resource for Parents and Coaches August 4, 2012

By D. Buxman TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

As a parent of a high school football player, I've seen my share of bad decisions that could have potentially catastrophic results. Dr. Cantu's book is an excellent source of information that will help parents and coaches separate fact from myth in dealing with concussions. Although it contains information about the medical aspects of head injuries, it is quite readable and interesting. It includes case studies, along with checklists that can be used to ascertain whether or not a concussion has occurred. Dr. Cantu also provides thoughtful analysis of changes that should be made in youth athletics to provide more protection. He also debunks many of the myths about head injuries and offers money saving advice for those inclined to buy the latest and greatest helmets, mouthpieces and chinstraps in hopes of protecting their child. While this book deals with a very serious subject, it doesn't come off as overly preachy or dogmatic. Dr. Cantu recommends that children under 14 abstain from tackle football, but he doesn't approach it as a hard and fast rule, but rather he acknowledges that every child is different and suggests that the decision be based on muscular development and other individual considerations. I plan on buying copies of this book for my son's coaches.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book. Valuable lessons inside. August 30, 2012

By Bernard Farrell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Dr. Cantu for writing this book! It's an easy conversational read, yet comprehensive in its coverage of head safety issues in sports. As the parent of a high school soccer playing daughter, I am very aware of the risk of concussion in this particular sport. She's already had one. Readable information on the subject is hard to come by, and you've answered so many of my questions in this book that I will recommend it every time this subject comes up conversation with the other parents. I will pass it around to my friends.

A short time ago, Taylor Twellman, whose story was outlined in the book, came to speak to my daughter's soccer club. It was extremely eye-opening for many of us there to hear him, and I'm grateful for his honesty. We need to take this subject matter seriously and become well-informed. After that talk, however, I still had questions about how concussions work and what we parents should do about it. This book has addressed them all. Thank you particularly for the directive to trust our instincts when we observe subtle changes in their mood, behavior, etc.

Update:this book was so invaluable I purchased a copy for the high school sports coach.