Health
Live Well with Phil Rainier: Concussion Safety, Part One
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Hello again. Is it just me or does it seem like we're hearing a lot more about concussions these days? Personally, I don’t think it’s just me. We are hearing more about athletes getting concussions at all competitive levels. That raises the question, why?
Erik Strahan has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and Certified Athletic Trainer at Central Physical Therapy. He says there are several reasons we’re hearing more about concussions today than in the past. For one thing, Strahan says, “Coaches and athletic trainers are becoming increasingly aware of the signs and symptoms of concussion.” Louisiana lawmakers passed a law requiring it. The law also mandates any Louisiana athlete with symptoms of a concussion be taken out of the game and not returned to play until they’ve been cleared by a medical professional.
Strahan is part of Central Physical Therapy’s new Concussion Management Team. Physical Therapist Richard O’Quinn rounds out the team. A Vestibular Specialist, O’Quinn says, “Coaches and trainers are better educated on the signs and symptoms of concussion. That’s one reason we’ve seen an uptick in that particular injury.” Another one is today’s athletes are bigger, faster and stronger. They hit harder. Advances in gear give many kids a false sense of protection which often O’Quinn says “leads some to play more aggressively.” According to O’Quinn, when you put it all together you’re going to see more concussions, a type of injury coaches used to refer to as “getting your bell rung.”
While on the surface it may seem as though doctors and coaches are going overboard trying to protect athletes, experts say it’s actually a good thing when an athlete with a possible concussion is taken out of the game and sent for medical evaluation. That’s because it gets athletes at risk for potentially devastating “second impacts” to the head out of the game. Second-Impact-Syndrome or SIS is what can happen when a player who has had a concussion is allowed back in the game too soon. The result can be permanent brain damage, even death. Repeated concussions have also been linked to conditions like Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
Over the years, doctors have relied heavily on an athlete’s symptoms, cognitive testing and their own best judgment to decide when it’s safe for them to return to play after a concussion. While better than nothing, in 2008 the top experts in the field of concussion research met in Zurich, Switzerland and wanted to do something better. That’s when they issued game-changing guidelines that added balance to the screenings they felt were necessary for athletes before, during and after a concussion. The process starts as a pre-season exam. By establishing a player’s baseline balance, an athletic trainer, coach or doctor has a reference for what was normal prior to impact. It also sets the stage for further balance testing that not only aids in the diagnosis of concussion, but serves as a guide for rehabilitation that will get an athlete back in the game safely.
To learn more about concussion safety and new concussion-related health guidelines, stay tuned for part two of this column in the next installment of LiveWell With Phil Rainier.
Footnote: Phil Rainier is not a doctor, nor is anything in this column intended as medical advice of any kind. Phil is Director of Marketing and Communications at Central Physical Therapy. Contact him by e-mail, [email protected].
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