Schools more careful about concussions Posted by Jacob Buckenmeyer | Oct 17, 2012 | 301 views

Imagine this: Two high school football players charge headlong after a pass. Both go down hard on the turf.

One is knocked unconscious for several seconds. Coaches help him to the sidelines and he’s examined by a trainer. The other jumps to his feet right away, but his head swims and he feels sick to his stomach. He staggers for a few steps before he rejoins his team at the line of scrimmage.

Both players suffered a concussion, according to physical therapist and athletic trainer Holly Treadway, and both need to sit out the rest of the game and let their wounds heal.

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Concussions make up 75 percent of all traumatic brain injuries and 9 percent of all sports injuries, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

They affect athletes in all sports and all levels — from high school to professionals. Across the U.S. each year, emergency departments treat 173,000 sports- and recreation-related brain injuries in patients less than 19 years old.

The Anacortes School District has seen between seven and 12 concussions each year since 2008. The focus of concussion awareness often falls on football, but it’s an issue that spans all sports.

“Football, basketball and soccer have been pretty equal [at AHS],” Treadway said. “But you never know. We had someone in the band get a concussion earlier this year, so it really can happen anywhere.”

Treadway said the best treatment is to get plenty of rest, but that can be difficult.

“A lot of times you tell kids to rest, and they get on their computer or watch TV,” she said. “That’s just as taxing on the brain.”

Treadway also said parents shouldn’t give injured children ibuprofen or caffeine, which may relieve the symptoms of pain and exhaustion, but can mask the damage.

“If they’re tired, it’s because they need to rest,” she said.

Athletes must show Treadway balance, coordination and cognitive skills before they make a gradual return to practice and games. If they hide it from coaches, the results can be disastrous. Multiple low-grade concussions can compound into a more severe trauma with swelling and bleeding in the brain.

John Miller is assistant executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and oversees the sports medicine advisory committee. He said the attitude toward concussions has changed.

“I would say, 20 years ago, [people thought] you just got your bell rung, get back in the game,” he said.

That changed as more cases came to light of severe injury and permanent brain damage in young athletes who continued to “play through” their concussions.

“I think back to my own years as a player,” Miller said, “and I think, yeah, I had a concussion. I thought it was just a headache.”