Concussions
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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