ED Physician Offers Advice for Athletes as They Head Back to School

     The start of this year’s football season brings an increased focus on protecting players at all levels from experiencing a concussion. With the abundance of today’s contact and extreme sports there is a lot of news about concussions; however, many of us do not know much about this common injury.
     “A concussion typically occurs with head injury due to direct contact to the head but can also be caused by significant force applied elsewhere on the body,” says Nathan Freeman, MD, Medical Director of the Ochsner Emergency Department—Baton Rouge. “Acceleration and deceleration forces from any impact can be transmitted to the head to cause a concussion. The force of the impact disrupts the neuronalstructures in the brain and interferes with the brain’s ability to transmit messages.”
     According to the Centers for Disease Control, as many as 20 percent of all athletes involved in contactsports experience a concussion each season with the majority occurring at the high school level.  “Many people believe that you have to be knocked out to have a concussion,” says Dr. Freeman. “The frightening truth is that the majority of concussions in sports occur without loss of consciousness and are often unrecognized due to mild symptoms that go unnoticed.”
     Less than 20 percent of individuals who incur a concussion have associated loss of consciousness. 
     Symptoms may include headaches,fatigue, sleep cycle disruption, excessive irritability, sensitivity to light or noise, dizziness, and disruption of memory, attention, or concentration.
     Dr. Freeman says a patient who is having seizures, repeated episodes of vomiting, changes in theirspeech,such asslurring, or decreased level of alertness should be seen in the emergency room as soon as possible to rule out a more serious brain injury. 
     When it comes to concussions, resting the brain is just as important as resting the body.  “The risks of ignoring a concussion are very real,” says Dr. Freeman. “Athletes need time to fully recover before returning to any sports activity. Failure to allow time for the brain to heal from a concussion can result in worsening symptoms and increased recovery time. A second concussion that occurs before the brain has had time to heal can result in death; this is called second impact syndrome.”
     Dr. Freeman suggests that athletes suspected of having a concussion should be seen by a medical provider to confirm the diagnosis and monitor the patient’s recovery.Amedical provider trained in the management of concussions is the best person to determine when it is safe for the athlete to return to play. Healthcare providers can use neurological testing, balance testing, and concussion-related symptom monitoring to make this determination.
     Not all concussions are preventable, but athletes, parents and coaches should follow the safety guidelines for a sport and be familiar with the warning signs of a concussion to help reduce the athlete’s risk. Coaches should be prepared to take a player out of the game if they exhibit those symptoms.
     “The price of ignoring a suspected concussion is much too high,” says Dr. Freeman.  “Coaches and parents should remind their players to focus on their long-term goals, even when that means taking a break from sports to stay healthy.  As the saying goes, when in doubt, sit them out."