Tony Dejack/AP Photo
Nov. 23--News broke last night that NFL teams would need to have players cleared by a nonteam neurologist before allowing the athletes to return to the field following concussions.
The short- and long-term effects of concussions--for many years a concern for retired players--have drawn increasing attention this season as evidence has emerged that a majority of players on NFL rosters have suffered some form of mild traumatic brain injury during their careers. Adequate rest, which is the only cure for an initial concussion that can be cured, rarely occurs before athletes get back on the gridiron.
Suffering one concussion greatly increases a person's risk for incurring a second concussion. Repeated brain injuries can produce depression, decreases in memory and intellectual capacity, and early-onset dementia. Football players often get their first concussion while in high school.
The Virginia High School League, which governs amateur athletics in public schools throughout the Commonwealth, does not keep statistics on head or brain injuries. While VHSL does ask athletes and their parents to disclose any concussions and requires the signing of a waiver acknowledging the risk of of injury, the organization does not publish or endorse concussion screening or treatment guidelines.
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, however, offers these tips on dealing with concussions in children and teens:
- Never allow an athlete to return to the same game after coming of the field with concussion symptoms.
- Stop any activity that worsens concussion symptoms.
- Keep the athlete at home until normal balance and mental and visual focus return.
- Have any suspected concussion verified or ruled out by a neurologist.
- Allow a return to play only after all symptoms have completely resolved.
- Monitor the athlete for postconcussion syndrome, the signs and symptoms of which include memory lapses, insomnia, continued dizziness and irritability or anxiousness.
- Educate all teammates, team personnel and parents to recognize concussion symptoms and to report them in themselves and in others.
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