Take Young Athletes' Concussions Seriously

News of the death of Dave Duerson, former 1985 Chicago Bears safety, rattled the NFL.  This has brought the topic of concussions and its effects on athletes of all ages to the mainstream.

From early on, coaches teach young athletes to be tough and deal with the pain.  Football players, especially, are taught to hit fast and to hit hard.  The consequences of these hits over time, especially to the head, are just now being brought to light.

For several years, I have been using IMPACT, which stands for Immediate Post Concussion Assessment And Cognitive Testing.  IMPACT is a tangible tool to measure the brain's functions after a concussion.  It is another way of keeping young athletes safe.  The test, which does not take long, should be taken within 24-48 hours post injury and can be given by any trained administrator.  The user goes through a series of tests ranging from reaction time to concentration.

I was at a local youth hockey game when a player from another team was hit.  Using the IMPACT program, I determined that the young boy should sit out the rest of the game and recommended to his mother that he see his doctor the following day.  Before I left, I gave the mother my business card and told her to call me if she had any questions.  A couple of days later, the boy's mother called to say the family pediatrician had given the boy the green light, allowing him to play.  The mother had seen the results of the IMPACT program and knew that symptoms weren't always visible.  I referred the family to another doctor, who agreed with me, and after some rest and more testing, the boy now feels better and is back on the rink.

A patient of mine who is on the Windy City Rollers derby team recently suffered a concussion while playing.  Since she had already taken the IMPACT test, there was a baseline to start from.  She wanted to be back in the rink with her fellow teammates, but the test showed she was not ready to play.  It took some time, but once she got to her baseline, she strapped on her skates again. 

I encounter parents, young athletes and some coaches who are not always aware of what the symptoms are.  This is when I point out that sometimes, there are no outward signs, no loss of consciousness, no bumps or bruises, and that close monitoring is important.  The usual symptoms range from a slight headache to nausea, vomiting, dizziness, eating more or less than usual or not feeling like themselves. They may or may not be tired. But the most common symptom I hear is that they feel like they're in a fog that doesn't go away.

There is no doubt that this program is vital to the sports industry.  IMPACT, which is being widely used from hospitals to professional teams to the high school playing level to the little pee-wee leagues, is a good scientific indicator of how serious a concussion is.  Research shows untreated head injuries can lead to persistent symptoms, even leaving an athlete susceptible to a future brain injury.

The key to any head injury – for the healing process to be complete – is rest, time and understanding.

Have a medical question you'd like to ask the team of doctors to answer in this column? Email it to Pam @patch.com.