HOUSTON – If you've ever watched or participated in high school sports, you know...the band…the hits…and injuries are all part of high school sports—especially football.
A fact Porter Bretches, a Junior at Memorial High School knows all too well. He sprained his ankle on the football field last October.
"I sprained it by landing really hard on the flat of my foot. It felt almost like my leg went down into my ankle," says Bretches.
Porter is in good company. In the 2012-2013 school year, more than 1,100 student athletes in Texas reported sprains. That number jumped to more than 1,800 last school year.
The State's University Interscholastic League—known as UIL—tracks the number of sports related injuries in Texas. Local 2 got a copy of the most recent report and discussed the top five injuries with West Houston Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Carl Palumbo, who treats student athletes for all types of injuries.
"Sprains are very common in football. And probably one of the more common injuries in all high school sports. A sprained ankle, you hear that all the time. It's a very common injury," said Palumbo.
Dr. Palumbo says some injuries are just part of the game… like the second most common injury reported. In the 2012-2013 school year, 358 student athletes in Texas reported bruises. That number increased to 558 last school year.
Palumbo added, "Bruises are very common. Bruises can occur...it's from a soft tissue...it's from an impact, typically."
Other more serious injuries, like concussions can lead to dangerous consequences, long-term, if left untreated.
Dr. Palumbo noted that many people are still very confused about concussions because unlike other injuries, they cannot be detected on an x-ray, or you can see it on a CT scan or an MRI scan.
In the 2012-2013 school year, 322 concussions were reported statewide.
The next year, that number went up to 533 with more schools reporting concussions to the state.
Dr. Palumbo attributes the rise in reported concussions to awareness, especially with the number of NFL players coming forward to say they sustained chronic head trauma during their careers.
"Actually athletes are aware of what a concussion is. So, they bring symptoms to the physician's attention sooner than they did in the past."
He continued, "Now with that, some of them aren't concussions but at least they are bringing those symptoms to our attention so we can evaluate and make sure it's not a concussion."
Dr. Palumbo says players are sometimes anxious to return to the field and may not reveal all of their symptoms. But he warns there are potentially dangerous consequences of returning to the field too soon.
"There's a condition called second impact syndrome. And second impact syndrome is where you have another concussion, prior to the first concussion fully healing, which can cause even more significant injury to the brain," said Palumbo.
Rounding out the top five injuries—fractures and dislocations. In the 2012-2013 school year, 212 fractures were reported statewide. The next year, that number went up to 305. There were a combined 480 dislocations and "other" injuries during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.
Whatever the injury—Dr. Palumbo says make sure you're healed and ready before going back into competition.
"Make sure that you are back in a practice situation 100% before you move into a game situation 100%," says Palumbo.
Dr. Palumbo also adds there are symptoms of sports related head trauma, parents should watch out for. They include headaches and nausea, feeling tired or having trouble focusing in school.
