Athletic head injuries.

Recent studies have shown a decrease in mortality from head and neck injuries, especially in American football. This has resulted from rule changes and their enforcement, equipment modification, improved coaching and training techniques, and educational programs for neck injuries. Morbidity data, however, are not as complete, particularly as they apply to concussion, the most frequent type of head injury in contact sports. Questions on this condition that still need to be answered before a sound medical disposition can be made are the possible cumulative damage from repeated concussions, and whether one concussion renders a player more susceptible to a second. Currently, decisions on when to allow a football player to return to a game or participate in future contests are arbitrary and based primarily on the experience of the team physician. Certainly, further studies are essential before these decisions can be based on sound scientific data. Thus, the pioneer work of Richard Schneider needs to be continued.