CONCUSSIONA fAct sheet for coAches

The FacTs •Aconcussionisabraininjury.•Allconcussionsareserious.•Concussionscanoccurwithoutlossofconsciousnessorotherobvioussigns.

•Concussionscanoccurfromblowstothebodyaswellastothehead.•Concussionscanoccurinanysport.•Recognitionandproperresponsetoconcussionswhentheyfirstoccurcanhelppreventfurtherinjuryorevendeath.

•Athletesmaynotreporttheirsymptomsforfearoflosingplayingtime.•Athletescanstillgetaconcussioneveniftheyarewearingahelmet.•DatafromtheNCAAInjurySurveillanceSystemsuggeststhatconcussionsrepresent5to18percentofallreportedinjuries,dependingonthesport.

WhaT is a concussion?Aconcussionisabraininjurythatmaybecausedbyablowtothehead,face,neckorelsewhereonthebodywithan“impulsive”forcetransmittedtothehead.Concussionscanalsoresultfromhittingahardsurfacesuchastheground,iceorfloor,fromplayerscollidingwitheachotherorbeinghitbyapieceofequipmentsuchasabat,lacrossestickorfieldhockeyball.

Recognizing a possible concussionTohelprecognizeaconcussion,watchforthefollowingtwoeventsamongyourstudent-athletesduringbothgamesandpractices:1.Aforcefulblowtotheheadorbodythatresultsinrapidmovementofthehead;

-AND-2.Any changeinthestudent-athlete’sbehavior,thinkingorphysicalfunctioning(seesignsandsymptoms).

signs and sympTomsSigns Observed By Coaching Staff• Appears dazed or stunned.• Is confused about assignment or position.• Forgets plays.• Is unsure of game, score or opponent.• Moves clumsily.• Answers questions slowly.• Loses consciousness (even briefly). • Shows behavior or personality changes.• Can’t recall events before hit or fall.• Can’t recall events after hit or fall.

Symptoms Reported By Student-Athlete• Headache or “pressure” in head.• Nausea or vomiting.• Balance problems or dizziness.• Double or blurry vision.• Sensitivity to light.• Sensitivity to noise.• Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy or groggy.• Concentration or memory problems.• Confusion.• Does not “feel right.”

pReVenTion and pRepaRaTionAsacoach,youplayakeyroleinpreventingconcussionsandrespondingtothemproperlywhentheyoccur.Herearesomestepsyoucantaketoensurethebestoutcomeforyourstudent-athletes:

•Educatestudent-athletesandcoachingstaffaboutconcussion.Explainyourconcernsaboutconcussionandyourexpectationsofsafeplaytostudent-athletes,athleticsstaffandassistantcoaches.Createanenvironmentthatsupportsreporting,accesstoproperevaluationandconservativereturn-to-play.

–Reviewandpracticeyouremergencyactionplanforyourfacility. –Knowwhenyouwillhavesidelinemedicalcareandwhenyouwillnot,bothathomeandaway. –Emphasizethatprotectiveequipmentshouldfitproperly,bewellmaintained,andbewornconsistentlyandcorrectly. –ReviewtheConcussionFactSheetforStudent-Athleteswithyourteamtohelpthemrecognizethesignsofaconcussion. –ReviewwithyourathleticsstafftheNCAASportsMedicineHandbookguideline:ConcussionorMildTraumaticBrainInjury(mTBI) intheAthlete.

•Insistthatsafetycomesfirst. –Teachstudent-athletessafe-playtechniquesandencouragethemtofollowtherulesofplay. –Encouragestudent-athletestopracticegoodsportsmanshipatalltimes. –Encouragestudent-athletestoimmediatelyreportsymptomsofconcussion.•Preventlong-termproblems.Arepeatconcussionthatoccursbeforethebrainrecoversfromthepreviousone(hours,daysorweeks)canslowrecoveryorincreasethelikelihoodofhavinglong-termproblems.Inrarecases,repeatconcussionscanresultinbrainswelling,permanentbraindamageandevendeath.

iT’s beTTeR They miss one game Than The Whole season. When in doubT, siT Them ouT.Formoreinformationandresources,visitwww.NCAA.org/health-safetyandwww.CDC.gov/Concussion.

iF you ThinK youR sTudenT-aThleTe has susTained a concussion: Takehim/heroutofplayimmediatelyandallowadequatetimeforevaluationbyahealthcareprofessionalexperiencedinevaluatingforconcussion.

Anathletewhoexhibitssigns,symptomsorbehaviorsconsistentwithaconcussion,eitheratrestorduringexertion,shouldberemoved immediately from practice or competitionandshouldnotreturntoplayuntilclearedbyanappropriatehealthcareprofessional.Sportshaveinjurytimeoutsandplayersubstitutionssothatstudent-athletescangetcheckedout.

iF a concussion is suspecTed:1.Remove the student-athlete from play.Lookforthesignsandsymptomsofconcussionifyourstudent-athletehasexperiencedablowtothehead.Donotallowthestudent-athletetojust“shakeitoff.”Eachindividualathletewillrespondtoconcussionsdifferently.

2.Ensure that the student-athlete is evaluated right away by an appropriate health care professional.Donottrytojudgetheseverityoftheinjuryyourself.Immediatelyreferthestudent-athletetotheappropriateathleticsmedicalstaff,suchasacertifiedathletictrainer,teamphysicianorhealthcareprofessionalexperiencedinconcussionevaluationandmanagement.

3. Allow the student-athlete to return to play only with permission from a health care professional with experience in evaluating for concussion.Allowathleticsmedicalstafftorelyontheirclinicalskillsandprotocolsinevaluatingtheathletetoestablishtheappropriatetimetoreturntoplay.Areturn-to-playprogressionshouldoccurinanindividualized,step-wisefashionwithgradualincrementsinphysicalexertionandriskofcontact.

4.Develop a game plan.Student-athletesshouldnotreturntoplayuntilallsymptomshaveresolved,bothatrestandduringexertion.Manytimes,thatmeanstheywillbeoutfortheremainderofthatday.Infact,asconcussionmanagementcontinuestoevolvewithnewscience,thecareisbecomingmoreconservativeandreturn-to-playtimeframesaregettinglonger.Coachesshouldhaveagameplanthataccountsforthischange.

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