I recently had the opportunity to speak with the coaches of
the Tony Glavin Soccer Club about concussions.
The coaches are very interested in the health of their athletes and how
best to take care of them if such an injury does occur. Stories of head injuries have dotted the
sports pages and often the front pages quite a bit lately, as more and more
athletes, parents, and coaches attempt to understand the injury. We are figuring out that getting “dinged” or
‘rung” may actually be a more serious injury.
A concussion is a traumatic injury to the brain. It can occur from a blow to the head or even
to the body if that hit causes movement of the brain inside the skull. It results in any number of symptoms because
of a change in how the brain is working.
It does not cause a structural injury, so you can’t see a concussion on
a CT scan or MRI. And you don’t have to
get knocked out to have a concussion. In
fact, a brief loss of consciousness doesn’t even mean an athlete has suffered a
more severe injury.
Evaluating head injuries can be tricky, as symptoms are
often explained away as another illness or injury. Coaches are often the first responders to an
injured athlete, and they should be conservative when it comes to head
injuries. They are taught, “when in
doubt, sit them out,” even if they aren’t sure of the diagnosis. A medical professional, such as a doctor or
athletic trainer, should evaluate an injured athlete as soon as possible after
a head injury. The risk of much more
serious injury is very high if an athlete suffering from the effects of a
concussion is allowed to continue playing and endures another hit.
Not every injury causes the same issues. The signs and symptoms of concussion vary
between individuals. These can include
balance problems, dizziness, concentration and memory issues, drowsiness,
mental fogginess, headache, feeling emotional, nausea, irritability, light or
noise sensitivity, trouble falling asleep, and vision problems. If your athlete is describing any of these
symptoms after a head injury, get them to the doctor. Be careful not to judge the severity of the
injury yourself.
When a concussed athlete comes into my office, I perform a
very thorough evaluation. I talk with
both the athlete and his or her parents about how the athlete is acting. I examine the nervous system from head to
toe. I include memory and concentration
tests, as well as balance and visual tests as part of the visit. Then we spend a great deal of time discussing
the injury and how to minimize the time the athlete is suffering. Often I have to recommend shorter school days
or make changes to the work the student does at school while having symptoms.
Once an athlete is feeling back to normal at rest and then
at school, they move through a progression of physical activity to test their
readiness to return to sports. If he or
she is successful and does not have a return of their symptoms, I allow them to
return to play fully.
