Neurological and Orthopedic Doctors Offer Tips To Keep Kids Safe

WHAT: Dr. Preston Wolin (team doctor for St. Rita H.S., Chicago Fire, DePaul Demons), Neurologic and Orthopedic Institute, and Dr. Dean Karahalios (a former Central football player), Chicago Institute for Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch, will conduct a free injury prevention clinic for 30+ Hinsdale Falcon football coaches

WHEN: 8 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007

WHERE: Hinsdale Central High School | Student Cafeteria | 55th and Grant Streets <MAP>

BACKGROUND: Doctors, coaches and parents are becoming increasingly aware of the potential for serious injury in contact sports. There are more injuries among high school football players than in any other high school sport. The concussion rate among high school players is greater than in collegiate football athletes which can cause traumatic brain injuries that last a lifetime. Studies show knee and ligament injuries are the most common among football players. Additional research reveals that loading of the cervical spine resulting from head-down contact is the primary cause of spinal cord injuries. Unfortunately, many of today's football players are doing just that.

Preston Wolin, M.D., director of the Sports Medicine Program and orthopedic surgeon at the Neurologic and Orthopedic Institute of Chicago, is team physician for the Chicago Fire soccer team, and for the St. Ignatius and St. Rita high school football teams. (St. Rita won the high school football state championship last year.) Dr. Wolin has been advising high school athletes for twenty-four years about the proper training, equipment and techniques used to play high-impact sports and stay injury free.

Dr. Dean Karahalios, M.D., is a neurosurgeon specializing in conditions of and injuries to the spine. As a former Central football player, he has a unique perspective on the game, training and football injury prevention. Dr. Karahalios offers specific strategies for coaches who may experience a player down and unable to move.