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Injury Focus:
Concussions
Concussion is an injury that can cause more than a headache. As brain research advances and our
ability to map the brain increases, startling new information suggests that the sports community needs
to take this injury very seriously.
The Olympic committee has published
strict regulations on concussions which
mandate a four-day rest period for any
concussion victim. They may then resume
training, and if they pass a range of tests,
they may return to competition after a
further two days.
“Concussion can be exhibited in many
different ways,” said Bill Moreau, who
has served as director of sports medicine
clinics for the Colorado Springs-based
USOC since 2009. “It’s not just a lost
of consciousness. It could be a loss of
memory, a loss of balance, the inability to
concentrate. … Every concussion needs
to be recognized as a brain injury.”
This is true for all athletes, regardless of
their level. But while professional sports
are highly regulated, participants in
amateur sports are not subject to such
stringent guidelines.
People involved in amateur sports
are most at risk from misdiagnosis of
potentially life-threatening damage.
Children are especially vulnerable to long
term damage because their brains are not
yet fully developed.
In a study conducted in 2010, researchers
claim that sports-related concussions
are being sustained at increasing rates.
Moreover, because of the general public’s
inability to diagnose concussion, many
young people are at risk of second impact
syndrome. This potentially deadly injury
occurs when a person who is still suffering
from the effects of a first concussion
receives a second blow to the head. This
second blow compounds the effects of
the first and can result in long term losses
of motor skills, paralysis or even death.
Indeed, as many as 90% of reported
concussions are sustained by high
school and primary school aged-people.
According to an article published in USA
Today:
• Just 40% of parents feel
“knowledgeable” when it comes
to preventing their child’s sports
injuries.
• 35% say their child plays games with
a certified athletic trainer present.
• 29% feel that their child’s coach
knows how to prevent sports injuries.
After being concussed, many young
people recommence playing too
early. Jean Rickerson has first-hand
experience with the uncertainty that
concussion can generate. She founded
Sportsconcussions.org
after her son
received a blow to the head in a football
game. Not knowing how soon to send him
back to the field was a source of stress
for all the interested parties: her son, the
coaches and the rightly-fearful mother.
“The coaches weren’t educated and
neither was I,” says Rickerson. She finally
convinced him not to take to the field, but
the impact of the first concussion took
its toll regardless. It was a year before
his writing and reading skills were fully
recovered.
Rickerson concludes that only correct
diagnosis and time can ensure that
children and young adults do not
compound their injuries.
Scientific research is being conducted
to combat the dangers of concussion.
While educating parents and coaches in
detection of the injuries has improved,
scientists have made some critical
discoveries over the past few years.
In a study published in Neurosurgery,
scientists assert that Omega-3 fatty acid
can help to prevent brain injury. In the
study, rats were administered varying
amounts of the omega-3 acid and then
giving brain trauma. The rats which had
received higher amounts of the fatty acid
suffered less initial damage and had a
faster recovery rate than the rats that had
received lower amounts. It is believed that
the omega-3 acid helps to strengthen the
brain muscle. As a consequence of this
study, sportspeople who have a history
of concussion would do well to consume
higher volumes of foods that contain
omega-3.
As our understanding of the brain
improves, so does the technology that
charts and diagnoses issues in the brain.
Neurological testing, according to The
American Journal of Sports Medicine,
has shown that the damage caused in
many cases of concussion should result
in longer periods of rest.
Being able to quantify damage
beyond secondary symptoms such
as nausea and expanded pupils
enables medical professionals to gain
a more comprehensive insight into the
brain’s actual damage. Overall, this
study confirms that players usually
underestimate the amount of time it takes
to recover from concussion. Neurological
testing, therefore, will help players avoid
second impact syndrome.
Concussion is a significant sports injury
and is one that is all too frequently
brushed off. If you sustain any form of
blow to the head, seek medical advice.
Related Fact Box
While the dangers of concussions
for young people are becoming more
widely reported, they face a variety
of risks in sport. SAFE KIDS USA is
an organization that researches the
dangers sports pose to young people.
According to SAFE KIDS USA:
More than 3.5 million children aged 14
and under receive medical treatment
for sports injuries each year.
Injuries associated with participation
in sports and recreational activities
account for 21 percent of all traumatic
brain injuries among children in the
United States.
Overuse injury, whichoccurs over time
from repeated motion, is responsible
for nearly half of all sports injuries
to middle-and high-school students.
Immature bones, insufficient rest
after an injury and poor training or
conditioning contribute to overuse
injuries among children.
Most organised sports related injuries
(62 percent) occur during practices
rather than games. Despite this fact,
a third of parents often do not take
the same safety precautions during
their child’s practices as they would
for a game.
A recent survey found that among
athletes ages 5 to 14, 15 percent
of basketball players, 28 percent of
football players, 22 percent of soccer
players, 25 percent of baseball
players and 12 percent of softball
players have been injured while
playing their respective sports.
Children ages 5 to 14 account for
nearly 40 percent of all sports-related
injuries treated in hospital emergency
departments. The rate and severity of
sports-related injury increases with a
child’s age.
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