Concussion?... what concussion?

Concussion is a major concern in contact (as well as non-contact) sports. Regardless of it's frequent occurrence, the injury is widely misunderstood. This is unfortunate, but somewhat expected as most people participating in sports have had no current or formal education on the matter. Coaches and athletes alike can go through their sporting careers and never really appreciate the seriousness of a concussion until they are exposed to other doctors, physios, trainers or coaches that know. Unfortunately, this exposure usually doesn't occur until they reach the higher levels of their respective sports.

What bothers me the most is when professional sports teams and media perpetuate ignorance on the topic. They both have an excellent opportunity to educate the public on concussions and their management when the topic arises.

For example, NHL goaltender Rick DiPietro was recently taken out of a game following a collision where he suffered headaches, dizziness and nausea. The word on the sports news that night was “they have ruled out concussion”. Argh! He definitely had a concussion. Now he is continuing to suffer from “post-concussive syndrome” (interesting for someone ho never had a concussion). Truly, post concussive syndrome is very real, but it’s fundamentally just the effects of the concussion that have not fully healed.

A few years ago I witnessed an even worse example of the media and/or team falsely ruling-out a concussion. Following a collision, a Dallas Stars player was being helped to the bench by two of his teammates when he went completely limp in their arms.

I am not as negative (and whiny) a person as I may sound (I think). For I do believe the public may learn a lot about sporting injuries by following their favorite teams in the media. It's just that the definition and management for concussion follows some very simple principals, even if the injury itself can be quite complex.

To read more about concussion, see the article on my website and especially check out the website thinkfirst.ca. They have the most up-to-date and sound information as well as downloadable information for athletes, coaches and physicians.

harry