Diagnosing a concussion and the dangers of playing with one
Doctors and athletic trainers have greatly advanced their understanding of concussions and their effects in recent years. The result, they hope, is more concussions being properly diagnosed and treated accordingly to limit long-term damage.
“We know that with a second concussion and multiple concussions, it gets to the point where you can injure the brain permanently, and that’s what we’re worried about,” said Dr. Seth Silver, a concussion specialist, orthopedic surgeon and the team doctor for the athletic programs at Millville High School.
Properly diagnosing and treating a concussion is even more important for high school athletes.
“The younger they are when they have them, the longer it takes for the brain to heal,” Buena Regional High School athletic trainer Denise Fields said. “Their brains are still developing at that point.”
Concussions can be difficult to diagnose, especially during a game when a player wants to go back into the action quickly. Most schools now require athletes in all contact sports to take baseline tests before the season, but those aren’t used in-game to determine if a player is concussed — a trainer needs to make that call on the spot.
Fields said when she assesses a player for a possible concussion, she’s looking for symptoms like headaches, dizziness, disorientation and/or nausea. Fields employs a SCAT2 (Sports Concussion Assessment Tool) that rates the answers to a series of questions to come up with a symptom severity score. She also asks an athlete to repeat a series of words to check their memory.
Every instance is different, but Fields said any athlete suffering a concussion should rest for at least two weeks. Buena, for instance, requires a mandatory rest of seven days and another five-day exertion phase after any concussion. Every athlete must be cleared by a doctor before returning to the field.
“If they have a second concussion, it’s even longer,” Silver said. “If they have a loss of consciousness, it’s even longer. Third concussion, you should probably sit out for the year.”
The dangers of returning too soon are serious, from brain damage to even death.
“There’s a significant amount of mortality associated with a second impact,” Dr. Silver said.
For a link to a SCAT2 test, please visit thedailyjournal.com/playmakers.
– Patrick Buganski