Concussion Awareness in Sports

By: Rizzie Love, Capstone Account Manager

As spring approaches and kids are starting up sports again, it is important that parents and coaches are aware of the dangers of concussions in young athletes. Concussions in children do not only happen on the field. Some children fall at the playground, run into other children at school or some may even fall off their bike or bed.

Professional teams and local sports leagues are required to carry a professional liability insurance policy. One of the reasons for this is because of concussions. Coaches and trainers need to be aware of risks of concussions. They need to be properly trained to identify concussions in players. Sometimes they may not catch it and a player may be hurt or injured leaving a huge liability. Professional insurance will help cover these businesses in the event of a missed injury to a player.

You may ask what a concussion is. Well according to Webmd, “A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull.” In other words a concussion is an injury to the brain resulting from a physical activity.

You may have a concussion if you experience any of the following after a hit or fall:

1. Headache or pressure in the head
2. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness
3. Balance problems
4. Double of blurry vision, and/or sensitivity to light
5. Emotional changes easily changed
6. No energy or feeling sluggish, slowed down, have the need to sleep more then usual
7. Concentration or memory problems or a feeling of not thinking clearly

As a parent or coach when on the field a child may not share how they are feeling after an injury. Perhaps, they want to stay in the game or are just eager to brush off what could potentially have been an embarrassing moment. So sometimes it is up to the adults to recognize the signs or symptoms in youth.

5 Signs a player may have a concussion:

1. Appears dazed or stunned, loses consciousness for any length of time
2. Is confused about assignment positions
3. Forgets plays or cant recall events prior to the hit or fall
4. Unsure of game, score or opponent
5. Shows behavior or personality changes

There is something called Baseline testing which is a test that is conducted at the beginning of a sports season. This test is under 30 minutes and can be administered by parent, coach or even a trained clinician. The purpose of a baseline test is to compare the results post-injury.

If injury is suspected then the child needs to be taken out of the game immediately. Players should also be examined neurologically just to be safe. There should be nothing more important to a parent then the safety and well being of their child. The player should at the very least sit out 24 hours to avoid further damage. Concussion education is extremely important to player’s safety. Proper training and understanding of all aspect to concussions is imperative to player safety and prevention of further long term damage.