Epidemiology of athletic head injury

Although more common in collision sports, head injuries (for this article confined to cerebral neurotrauma) may occur in virtually any form of athletics. A few such injuries result in death, especially the second-impact syndrome and subdural hematoma. Tl-le more minor cerebral injuries, mostly concussions, have widespread misunderstanding in definition and severity. These misunderstandings in the field have contributed to a paucity of reliable epidemiological information about its actual frequency. The concerns accompanying cerebral insult a-re discussed. more than studied, but much can be gained in principle from the history of attention to concussions in football.