CONCUSSIONS AND SCHOOL SPORTS

FACTS AND STATISTICS

• 10% of all contact sport athletes sustain concussions yearly
• 63% of all concussions occur in football
• Estimated that up to 20% of football players will sustain a concussion per season.
• An athlete who sustains concussion is 4-6 times more likely to sustain a second concussion
• ”Bell ringers” or mild concussions account for 75% of all concussive injuries
• Effects of concussion are cumulative in athletes who return to play prior to complete recovery
• The best way to prevent problems with concussion is to manage them effectively when they occur
• No athlete should return to play while experiencing symptoms of concussion.

ON-FIELD SIGNS/SYMPTOMS OF CONCUSSION

Concussion Signs

• Appears dazed
• Confused about play
• Answers question slowly
• Personality/behavior change
• Forgets plays prior to hit
• Retrograde amnesia
• Forgets plays after hit
• Anterograde amnesia
• Loss of consciousness
• Concussion Symptoms
• Headache
• Nausea
• Balance problems
• Double vision
• Photosensitivity
• Feeling sluggish
• Feeling foggy
• Change in sleep pattern
• Cognitive changes

LATER SIGNS OF CONCUSSION: Post-Concussion Syndrome

• Decreased Processing Speed
• Short-Term Memory Impairment
• Concentration Deficit
• Irritability/Depression
• Fatigue/Sleep Disturbance
• General Feeling of “Fogginess”
• Academic Difficulties

SECOND IMPACT SYNDROME

• Occurs in athletes with prior concussion following relatively minor second impact
• Second impact has been shown to occur up to 14 days post-injury
• Athlete returns to competition before resolution of symptoms
• Catastrophic increase in intracranial pressure
• Vasomotor paralysis, edema, massive swelling, herniation, death
• Most often occurs in athletes <21 years old
• Neuro-chemical processes appear to differ in developing brain

UPMC SPORTS CONCUSSION PROGRAM

What we know………

• No athlete should return to play with symptoms of concussion
• All athletes should be properly evaluated after concussion
• Football has greatest risk
• Soccer, wrestling, hockey, lacrosse, girls/boys basketball, cheerleading also carries significant risk 
• ImPACT is currently available as an effective clinical “tool” for all levels of contact sport participation
• Proper management of concussion is the best form of prevention

For more information from Brain Injury Association of PA: http://www.biapa.org/site/c.iuLZJbMMKrH/b.1760731/k.BD3E/Home.htm