Vim & Vigor - Summer 2014 - Community Healthcare - 27

WHAT TO DO
Forty-eight states have laws that require coaches
to take athletes out of the game after a concussion.
The laws also afﬁrm that athletes can't play until
they've been cleared by a medical professional.
How long that takes depends on the individual
situation, Jordan says.
"Most concussions will resolve in seven to 10
days," he explains. "Some take longer."
Once the symptoms have gone away, the athlete can begin to slowly return to activity, he adds.
That means progressively increasing activity and
training to make sure symptoms don't reappear.
"They should return to competition only when
they are asymptomatic at rest and on assertion-
and are not on any medications for the symptoms," Jordan notes.
It's important, Herring adds, for coaches,
trainers and parents to be educated about concussions and to take advantage of free resources,
such as the CDC's Heads Up program.
"In youth sports, there aren't always trained
medical professionals on the ﬁeld," he says.
"I don't expect (coaches and parents) to make a
diagnosis, but look at a checklist."
What makes this crucial is knowing that
young athletes may not always be honest about
their symptoms. In addition, Herring says,
coaches should adopt a team concussion policy.
"Athletes sometimes listen to their parents, but
they always listen to their coach," says Herring,
an advocate for head trauma legislation to protect
youth athletes. "Everyone's tough, but no one has
a tough brain ... Reward robust reporting. Make it
part of the team culture."

Help the Hurt
Most people would not play football without protective
gear, but many people who suffer a head injury continue
their normal activities without seeking medical care. Injury
to the head or spine that temporarily interferes with the
way the brain works is a concussion. Seeking medical care
quickly is important to make a full recovery and lessen the
chance of developing long-term complications.
The Concussion Clinics at Community Hospital and
St. Mary Medical Center have a team of experts experienced in evaluating and treating concussions.
"The key to concussion care is proper diagnosis and
treatment at the point of injury whether in a sporting event
or accident," says Mohammad S. Shukairy, MD, neurosurgeon at the Concussion Clinic. "Oftentimes people wait to
seek treatment thinking their headache or other symptoms
will go away after they rest."

call

heals can cause serious and lasting damage or
even death.
For moms and dads concerned about the lifelong neurological impact of contact sports, the
good news is that as long as you take the right
steps after a brain injury, there's little to worry
about, Jordan says.
One signiﬁcant factor, he says, is the length of
time between concussions.
"Someone having three concussions in six
months is different than someone having three
concussions in a six-year period," he explains.
"One thing parents and athletes should be concerned about is that each time, it takes longer
to recover. And it takes less impact to cause
[a concussion]."

Head to the Experts

The Concussion Clinics at Community Hospital in
Munster and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart will
help patients through the journey of evaluating, treating and recovering from a concussion. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the
Concussion Clinic at 219-836-4461.

While brain injuries are scary, it's important
for parents to not overreact, he adds. With the rise
of childhood obesity, Herring says, sports can be
incredibly healthy for kids.
"There are consequences to not letting kids play
sports," he notes. "Youth sports are an important
part of physical and social development. And
injury is an inevitable part of an active lifestyle. ...
It's how you manage the ﬁrst concussion and treat
the athlete that will make a difference."
SUM MER 2014

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2014 - Community Healthcare

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