They were wise to include a student who spoke about the concussion she sustained in basketball and her journey through healing. They also invited a mom to talk about her experience of caring for a tough, strong concussed teenage athlete.

Q’s:  “This is such a confusing and hard process to understand (treatment of a concussion). Right now, the question is about when my teenager can return to school. The ER doctor, my pediatrician and the neurologist all gave me different time frames. When are we out of the “danger zone?” How do we know she is completely healed? “

“I have done a lot of research on-line about helping my child regain his cognitive strength after a concussion. There is something called “Operant Conditioning” that claims to get kids back quickly to where they were before the concussion. Do you think I should pursue this approach?

“How many doctors do I need to see if my child had a concussion?”

Answers in next post.

Do you feel that your athlete is safe playing their sport?

Read more about what to look for if your athlete suffers a concussion.

Injuries don’t always come in the form of cuts, sprains and broken bones. Head injuries can have consequences that last a lifetime. So what should parent do?

Read this article from Sports Illustrated.com and read up on our tips on what to look for when your athlete suffers an head injury.

After suffering any injury, athletes must be cleared to return to play by the athletic training staff and team doctor (similar rules apply in the high school setting). This is done to insure that athletes safely and effectively return to their sport with the lowest risk of becoming re-injured. Though avoiding another injury is never guaranteed, it’s obviously better to get a medical opinion instead of leaving the decision up to the athlete. For head injuries this can be incredibly important, especially since there can be subtle underlying conditions that can be made much worse when the athlete returns to play too soon.

The new policy states that each NFL team will be required to have an independent neurologist approved by the league to supplement the medical staff to evaluate players who have suffered concussions. What took them so long?! This will take help take some of the pressure off the team medical staff who are often under fire to get players back as soon as possible – especially when an important game is coming up. I’ve seen this pressure at the high school level too. A good high school athletic trainer won’t give into the coach, parents or players but it can be difficult at times.

After watching an interview with Hines Ward of the Pittsburg Steelers this weekend, it is still clear to me that many athletes (even the professional ones) do not take concussions seriously enough. Ward stated that the team was questioning the decision to keep quarterback Ben Roethlisberger out of Sundays game after suffering a concussion the previous week. In my opinion his comments were way out of line! Incidentally, Ward just made a public apology to Roethlisberger on his Facebook page (read more about this NBC Sports article).

More posts on this topic:

What To Look For When Your Athletes Suffer A Head Injury

Featured Article: The Invisible Injury

If one of my athletes suffers a head injury during a practice or game, first I’ll rule out any immediate dangers that would require a trip to the Emergency Room. If it’s safe for the athlete to go home it’s important that they are monitored closely until I have a chance to see them in the training room the next day – here’s where mom and dad come in.

What To Look For
Basically, you want to make sure you notice if anything gets worse. Since your child may be a bit out of it (which is normal even after a mild concussion), you can’t always rely on them to give you honest and accurate info. Here are some of the guidelines I give to the parents of my athletes when they are sent home to monitor their child after a head injury.

• Go straight home and rest. No more practices, games, or errands. Straining to read or get homework done may not be possible (make sure to go through the proper school channels to have the student be temporarily excused).

• Ask if symptoms are getting worse. Some common ones include: headache, ringing in the ears, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, drowsiness, irritability, neck pain.

• Don’t eat a large meal – head injuries are sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting. A small meal (if they’re hungry) and some fluids are fine.

• Don’t give any painkillers for a headache – no Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, Motrin, Aspirin – Nothing! These can mask the symptoms of a worsening concussion and blood thinners like aspirin can increase intra-cranial bleeding. A cool cloth or an ice pack to the head are all you should do.

• Don’t leave your athlete unattended for long period of time, talk to them – make sure they remain awake and alert until their typical bedtime.

• Once they athlete does go to bed for the night –wake them up periodically to make sure they awake easily.

• If any symptoms appear to get worse – call your MD immediately and take the athlete to the Emergency Room for further evaluation.

• No activity of any kind is allowed until you are cleared by your medical care team (MD and/or Athletic Trainer).

Return To Play
Athletes that suffer from head injuries can miss anywhere from a day to months of their sport. It’s vital that both athletes and their parents work closely with their school’s athletic trainer and the rest of the child’s medical team to determine the best time to get back to playing safely.

Resources & Articles

• Sports Legacy Institute
• NATA Concussion New Releases and Statements
• Concussion on Center Stage For Sports Injuries..