Bill requires schools to appoint concussion oversight team
BAY AREA — On June 17, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed into law a
new concussion bill that will be known as Natasha’s Law.
The bill will help make certain that athletes of Texas charter
and University Interscholastic League schools are fully recovered
before returning to the playing field following a concussion.
About 140,000 high school students suffer a concussion each
year, according to the National Federation of State High School
Associations. With this new bill, alls UIL and charter high schools
and junior highs will now be required to establish a written
concussion protocol to manage student-athletes suffering from
concussions.
Part of the required protocol is for any athlete suspected of
suffering a concussion to be immediately removed from practice or
play. Once a child is pulled from the action, there are some signs
and symptoms Dr. John Cottingham, medical director at Christus St.
John Concussion Center, tells parents to watch for upon returning
home:
Headache
Dizziness
Slurring of speech
Stumbling/off balance
Vomiting/nausea
Ringing in the ears
Difficulty with memory
If these signs or symptoms worsen or intensify, it is
recommended the child be taken to the emergency room. Cottingham
also recommends parents wake their child every two to three hours
to make sure they are responsive.
Once a child is removed from the action by their coach, athletic
trainer, physician or parent/guardian, Natasha’s Law now requires
athletes be evaluated and cleared by a physician before he or she
can return to play.
“Implementing this law will help prevent students from
reengaging in the sport too soon,” said Thea Lockett, athletic
trainer with Christus St. John Concussion Center. “If an athlete
returns to play before they have fully recovered, they increase
their risk for a much greater injury such as a brain hemorrhage,
which can have fatal consequences.”
Natasha’s Law requires each school to appoint a concussion
oversight team to manage the concussion program. The oversight team
must consist of a physician and also include an athletic trainer,
advanced practice nurse, neuropsychologist or physician’s
assistant. It will establish criteria, or stages of exertion, each
athlete must complete before returning to play.
These stages, which begin with low-level physical exercise and
progress back to full participation, will make certain that the
student does not return to full activity before he or she is ready.
Only when the player has passed the stages of exertion, obtained
physician approval and signed (along with his or her
parent/guardian) a release form will they be eligible to play
again.
“Concussions have little to do with structural damage to the
brain and much more to do with hormonal changes and energy
deficits. It’s about function, not structure,” Lockett said. “A
brain that appears completely normal upon physical exam and imaging
tests may still need time to heal. Physical and mental difficulties
can linger.”
There are some steps parents can take at home to help their
child recover, according to Lockett:
Make sure your child gets lots of rest
Avoid things that make the symptoms worse, such as loud noise
from music or classmates at school
Delay school work and tests for a few days
Make sure they avoid texting and video games as these activities
put a lot of strain on the brain
Do not allow them to watch TV or use the computer in the
dark
Refrain from caffeine and citrus products
Natasha’s Law — named after Natasha Helmick, a student at Texas
State University whose soccer career ended after she sustained five
concussions in four years while in high school — will be put into
effect as directed by the Commissioner of Education.
“At Christus St. John we’ve developed a concussion management
program that is available to schools throughout Texas and we
currently work with local schools to implement their concussion
protocols,” Lockett said. “It has always been our standard of care
to have athletes complete the stages of exertion before returning
to play. This standard makes playing the sport they love safe for
the athlete again. Thanks to Natasha’s Law, this will now be the
standard throughout the state of Texas.”