Concussion doctor speaks to CBS 21 about importance of passed bill
Monday, the Governor signed the “Concussion Bill” at Lower Dauphin High School.
Concussion is one of those words that everybody knows, but just what does it mean to have a concussion?
CBS 21 spoke with a Professor of Pediatrics to figure out exactly what a concussion is.
One thing that Doctor Harry Bramley stressed was to not be afraid to put your kids into contact sports; all of his four kids are young athletes. His son David is even on the cover of the Penn State Concussion Program brochure, the key for everyone involved is education and that is what a lot of this new bill is all about.
“If this bill was six year ago I would be a healthy normal 23 year old,” stated Tracy Yatsko, “however, unfortunately it was not.”
Bramley, who is the Director of the Penn State Concussion Program, explained a concussion as: “A trauma which results in a mental status change, or would have symptoms that relate to a brain injury such as headache.”
A concussion can affect so many things that your brains does; for instances if your frontal lobe is injured it could increase your impulsivity.
The most important thing with concussion management is recognition, which sometimes can be challenging, but if there is a trauma and systems have developed then we have to assume that a concussion has occurred,” Bramley added.
Concussions do not show up on CT or MRI scans so it important for the athlete themselves to also know the symptoms of a concussion. The management of a concussion is based on the symptoms.
“The symptoms might be headache, dizziness, some mood changes,” Bramley added.
Athletes need to be proactive after a hard hit. “They may have a mild headache, but they may look fine, so it is very important for that athlete to recognize those symptoms,” continued Bramley.
Senator Pat Browne was the sponsor of the bill in the Senate. “There is a specific course of study that is offered from the CDC on diagnosing and managing concussions,” stated Senator Browne
That training will be mandatory for coaches, it only takes about 30 minutes, but it can make a big difference, to take the course for yourself just go to the homepage and click on FIND IT.
New research with high school soccer players from Dr. Bramley shows that with training, 72 percent of players said they would always report a possible concussion versus just 36 percent who had not had this important training.