Beacon Experts, Football Coach, Discuss Concussion Treatment and Prevention

As many as 3.8 million concussions occur in the United States each year, according to the Brain Injury Research Institute. It’s a number doctors, athletic trainers and football coaches would like to see dramatically reduced in organized sports.

An athlete can suffer a concussion when a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull. While concussions are most frequently associated with football, recent national reports indicate an increasing number of youth soccer players are heading to the ER for injuries, including concussions.

To discuss the topic, we assembled a panel of experts to participate in our September #beaconchat. The experts included: Dr. Linda Mansfield, Beacon Medical Group Sports Medicine, Gary Hall, Beacon Medical Group certified athletic trainer and Jay Johnson, head football coach at Washington High School.

Here is an edited transcript of the discussion.

Q1: What are the most common signs of a concussion?

“Headache, pressure in head, difficulty concentrating and remembering, light and sound sensitivity, nausea. Also trouble falling asleep, feeling in a fog, blurred vision, irritability, sadness and more emotional.” Gary Hall

Q2: What is standard medical treatment?

“Initially key component is rest, both physical and cognitive. No schoolwork, texting, video games or TV.” Dr. Mansfield

Q3: How much does age make a difference with concussions?

“Younger brains are still developing and often have longer symptomatic periods.” Dr. Mansfield

Q4: When can an athlete safely return to the sport?

“When symptoms are resolved and they have been medically cleared and complete, they can return to play. Return to play protocol takes four to five days. Day 1: Light exercise, i.e., jogging for five minutes or cycling, just to get the heart rate up a little. Day 2: More rigorous exercise, i.e., adding weightlifting. Day 3: May practice with team doing drills only, no contact. Day 4: If there is still no return of symptoms, full practice with contact. Day 5: If there is still no return of symptoms, he/she may return to full competition.” Dr. Mansfield

“If during five-day progression back to play they have concussion symptoms, go back to day one in progression.” Gary Hall

“We have to protect our young football players so they become our high school players.” Coach Jay

Q5: What are the dangers of playing through the pain?

“Players shouldn’t have to play through pain. Take care of your body so it can take care of you.” Coach Jay

“Most catastrophic result is something called second impact syndrome. This is another hit to the head of an already injured brain. Sudden brain swelling and death can occur.” Dr. Mansfield

“Bleeding on the brain or permanent brain damage.” Gary Hall

Q6: Is there a magic number of concussions before quitting the sport?

“There have been no studies supporting a particular number of concussions that would keep a player out. This is very individualized; we use many resources to determine if it’s safe for an athlete to continue playing a sport.” Dr. Mansfield

“It’s not a magic number. Whenever concussion threatens your well-being it is time to move on to something else.” Coach Jay

Q7: What are some ways you can minimize the risk of concussion?

“There has been no equipment that has been proven to prevent concussion. Heads up tackling has been shown to reduce concussion rates. This is where Coach Jay makes the biggest difference in the way he trains his players to tackle.” Dr. Mansfield

“Everyone has to be educated. Parents, players, coaches and all support staff. Education = safety. Heads up football has helped reduce concussions in South Bend as a whole. Again EDUCATION is the key. For a head coach, it has to be something you focus on so your staff, players and parents know it is important. Take your concerns to the coaches. We listen. If we ALWAYS focus on kids, the best solutions are a conversation away.” Coach Jay

“I agree with Coach Jay that education is the best advocate. Parents, coaches and medical professionals alike.” Dr. Mansfield

Catch #beaconchat every month @Beaconhealthsys (https://twitter.com/BeaconHealthSys). Join our Twitter and Facebook communities to continue these conversations all month long.

If you have any comments, let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

Written by Heidi Prescott, #beaconchat moderator. Follow me @prescott_heidi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/prescott_heidi