A survey done by Medical Xpress says a large amount of high school football players admitted they would not tell a coach about concussion symptoms after an in-game injury, according to Fox News.
Of the 120 high school football players surveyed, 30 said they previously suffered a concussion. Ninety percent of them said they realized the risk associated with returning too quickly from a head injury.
Many of the players were also aware of concussion symptoms such as difficulty with concentrating and memory recall, sensitivity to light, dizziness and headaches.
According to the report, 53 percent of those surveyed admitted they would "always or sometimes continue to play with a headache sustained from an injury." 54 percent admitted they would "always or sometimes report symptoms of a concussion to their coach.”
The study was conducted by doctors at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center—who found the study’s results to be troublesome.
"We aren't yet at the point where we can make specific policy recommendations for sports teams, but this study raises concerns that young athletes may not report symptoms of concussions," said the study’s lead author Dr. Brit Anderson. Anderson is an emergency medicine fellow at the medical center.
Anderson went on to say there is a need for further analysis into the subject. For example, studies must be done to determine how to more easily peg a player with a concussion.
"Other approaches, such as an increased use of sideline screening by coaches or athletic trainers, might be needed to identify injured athletes," he said.
Medical Xpress also mentioned the approximately 3.8 million sports-related concussions that occur every year. In addition, 8.9 percent of all injuries suffered by high school athletes come in the form of a concussion.
The report will be presented in Washington D.C. at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies on May 6.