Concussion and Fall Sports

October is Brain Injury Awareness Month

Elkins Park, PA, October 6, 2004--With the fall sports season upon us, athletes of all ages are gearing up to play football, soccer, rugby and other contact sports where the chance of injury is just part of the game.

In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sports-related injuries send an average of 2.6 million children and young adults to the hospital each year. Approximately 300,000 of these sports injuries are to the brain.

Concussion or mild traumatic brain injury is the most common type of head injury in sports. A concussion is an injury in which the brain is shaken inside the skull upon forceful impact with a stationary or moving object, such as two football players colliding head-on.

"It is important to recognize that most athletes recover spontaneously and completely from a concussion, usually within days or weeks," says Mary Pelham, Psy.D., Neuropsychologist, MossRehab. "However, a concussion may not be inconsequential, and there may be immediate and lasting effects, even though the athlete appears normal to the casual observer."

MossRehab, nationally recognized for its brain injury rehabilitation programs, is helping to educate coaches, trainers, parents and athletes on the importance of recognizing and treating a concussion as well as determining when it is safe to return to play.

Out of play. Any athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion should be removed from competition immediately and evaluated by a physician or other qualified individual, such as neuropsychologist, for symptoms of concussion as well as deficits in attention, concentration and memory. Common symptoms of concussion include headache, dizziness, loss of balance, memory loss, confusion, disorientation, nausea and vomiting.

Far too often, in an attempt to keep that competitive edge, athletes disregard their symptoms, "shake them off" and return to play too soon. "Coaches and trainers, as well as athletes and family members, need to be aware of the potential for serious after-effects from a concussion. They need to be cautious in regarding it as a minor brain injury and returning to competition too soon," says Dr. Pelham.

Back to play? In an attempt to assist coaches and trainers identify and manage suspected concussions on the field, some simple guidelines were initially developed to help determine the severity of the injury and when it is safe to return to play. Dr. Pelham cautions, "these traditional return-to-play guidelines lack a scientific foundation and tend to focus primarily on the athlete’s personal report of symptoms, subjective observation, and the presence of loss of consciousness and do not take into account the possibility of long-term effects in cognition and behavior which is referred to as post-concussion syndrome.” Symptoms of post-concussion syndrome may include chronic headaches, fatigue, sleep difficulties, personality change (e.g., increased irritability), sensitivity to light and/or noise, dizziness when standing quickly, and deficits in short-term memory, problem solving and general academic functioning. "For some athletes, these impairments can become quite disabling," added Dr. Pelham. "Therefore, the best way to prevent long-term problems associated with concussion is to manage the injury properly when it occurs.”

Making an ImPACT. ImPACT© (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is a comprehensive evaluation tool which has been used by the National Football League, the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and numerous other professional and collegiate athletic teams and organizations, and is now offered as part of MossRehab's concussion program. ImPACT is a 20-minute computerized assessment of neurocognitive functioning such as attention, memory, reaction time, visual processing speed, and post-concussion symptoms. Ideally, participants will undergo pre-season baseline testing in which data is collected and stored for comparison in the event the athlete experiences a concussion. However, if baseline testing is not available, the athlete's outcomes will be compared to a database of baseline norms established by ImPACT researchers.

"With any type of head injury, recovery is ongoing, therefore, it is in the best interest of the athlete, even if symptom free, not to return to a potentially risky activity until a comprehensive cognitive evaluation determines that it is safe to do so," said Dr. Pelham.

For more information on concussion and/or the ImPACT program, call 1-800-EINSTEIN. Recognized as a national leader in medical rehabilitation, MossRehab provides high-quality, compassionate medical care for individuals with physical disabilities. MossRehab offers a wide range of specialized services, including comprehensive programs for brain and spinal cord injury, stroke, amputation and orthopaedic conditions. MossRehab has two main facilities – MossRehab at Elkins Park at 60 East Township Line Road in Elkins Park, PA, and MossRehab at 1200 West Tabor Road in Philadelphia. It also operates inpatient units, outpatient sites and various community programs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. For more information, call 1-800-CALL MOSS or visit www.einstein.edu/mossrehab.

Publish date: October 6, 2004