Locals Learning About Concussions in Sports
Recently, a colleague and I met with a group of high school students to talk about concussions. The group was made up of males between the ages of fifteen and seventeen taking part in a physical education class. It was my first presentation to students on this topic so I wasn’t sure what I was going to hear.
We started the class by dividing the larger group into two smaller groups. One of the groups would stay and listen to a video presentation about concussion and sports. The other group was taken to the far end of the gym to play an “Active and Safe Ethical Decision-Making Game.”
The object of the game was for teams to make their way through a course as quickly as they could. Along the way, they worked together to reach consensus about real-life ethical scenarios. The game was adapted from the True Sport Ethical Decision-Making Game. This new version was designed to encourage children and youth to think about issues and events specific to concussion awareness, prevention and management.
We gave each of the teams instructions and then let them go on their own through the course. They easily went through it, answering each of the scenarios correctly in order to avoid taking a detour. Their conversations were honest. It included some joking about knowing what the correct answer was, but that it wasn’t what happened in the real world.
At the end of the game we wanted to know more about what they meant when they said it wasn’t what happened in the real world. We asked if anyone had ever had a concussion, had their “bell rung” or “saw stars after a hit.” About 25% of them put their hands up. Several of them admitted to having more than one concussion. Even if they personally never had a concussion they often knew someone that had.
Most of the students, when asked were familiar with some of the signs and symptoms of a concussion. Signs and symptoms of a concussion can include one or more of the following: loss of consciousness, dizziness, confusion, loss of balance and/or coordination, slurred speech, nausea, headache, vomiting, poor concentration, and inappropriate emotional response.
One of the biggest hurdles around concussions is the under reporting of them. This prevents many sports concussions from being treated properly. So, we asked the students, “Why would you not say anything when you knew you were hurt with a possible concussion?” They gave several reasons but the one that stayed with me was, “I hadn’t scored yet.” This is an example of why athletes choose to avoid saying anything. They just do not want to be side lined from the game.
It isn’t just our athletes not reporting concussions. We also need to ask parents, coaches/trainers, teammates and game officials the same question. Why would you allow an athlete you know “got their bell rung” to continue to play? One student stated, after getting a concussion his dad pressured him to keep playing because “it was too expensive the sit on the bench.” Another student firmly commented, “I’m not some famous athlete with trainers and doctors looking after me.” “I can’t take time off from school or work.” This is what they meant when they said it isn’t what happens in the real world.
After leaving the class that day I asked myself, “What needs to be done to change a culture where concussions are not treated as a serious health issue or even as an issue at all?” I’ve heard it called the “smelling salts thinking.” It happens when an athlete is hit hard and then are told, “Just shake it off, you are ok, get back out there and play!” If someone broke their arm they would stop playing. Is it because concussions are an invisible injury?
As parents, coaches, trainers, teachers, sports associations, school boards, and especially as young athletes we need to learn more about concussions so we are able to make smart decisions. We need our brains for a life-time. Don’t take the chance of a permanent brain injury just because you “hadn’t scored yet!”
To help answer your questions and to learn more about concussions please join us at the St. Clair College HealthPlex on September 14th, 2013 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. for a free community concussion workshop. Guest speakers include Scott Haller from The Shift Concussion Management Program and Dave Inglis with the Sports Legacy Institute of Canada.
To find out more about this event you can contact Kathy Tomecek at 519.352.7270 ext. 2454