The numbers don't lie. Sports concussions are a lot more common than one may have thought because according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.6 to 2.3 million sports concussions occur each year. But a concussion doesn't just take someone out of the game; it can also affect an athlete off the field of play as well.
"Concussions can impact school work, social development, they impact their college chances, and they feel miserable," said Dr. Stan Herring, a team physician for the Seattle Seahawks and the Co-Medical Director for the Seattle Sports Concussion Program. "We would really like to work with coaches and team leaders and parents to address the issue that concussions are brain injuries and all concussions are potentially serious."
This is why Dr. Herring made the trek to Canton, Ohio, to address 100 youth league commissioners and high school coaches about concussion awareness at the NFL-USA Football Youth Football Summit held from July 28-31.
"This is where the culture change must start," Dr. Herring said of today's youth parents and coaches. "It's important to understand that sometimes you can play with a cast or a splint on, but that does not apply to athletes with concussions."
And Dr. Herring's most important message to the group was simple:
"When in doubt, sit them out," he said. "Let this be a medical decision."
A physician will be able to best diagnose and offer treatment recommendations for a concussion - which is a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain that is induced by traumatic forces. A range of signs and symptoms can suggest a concussion such as confusion, slurred speech, fatigue, nausea, the inability to focus and delayed verbal and motor responses.
Although concussions are more prevalent at the high school level - accounting for 8.9 percent of all athletic injuries according to the Journal of Athletic Training - it is important for coaches to recognize that this type of injury can also occur at the youth level.
"Concussion issues become more of a problem around the 11- to 13-year-old range when athletes get bigger or stronger," Dr. Herring said. "So we want to be careful, but the level of concern should really go up as the athlete matures."
Among those in attendance to hear Dr. Herring's presentation was Rick Albright, president of the Mt. Pleasant (Pa.) Area Junior Football League and head coach of the Shast Cardinals. Albright's league put safety first by implementing a rule that says an ambulance and EMT have to be on site before the start of each game. Following the Youth Summit, Albright said he hopes to have another measure in place as well.
"The most important thing I got out of it is to not put anybody back in even though they say they're good," said Albright, a USA Football commissioner member. "We're going to try to create a rule where he's going to have to be medically released before we put him back into play."
Albright also has first-hand experience with concussions, so Dr. Herring's message really hit home.
"My son, Rick Jr., was practicing against somebody who was bigger, and he said he hit his chin," Albright said. "I was told they rolled him over to get his mouthpiece out, they walked him from the practice field at the high school to the field house, and you could just see it in his eyes.
"They left him out for about a week or two, but I don't personally think he was quite ready. The presentation sort of opened my eyes a little bit about how serious concussions can be."
Dr. Herring said it's essential to have a game-day medical plan specific to concussions that considers spine immobilization and emergency transport. He also advised providing post-event instructions to the athlete and others and to never leave a concussed athlete unsupervised.
"Key points about youth concussions are that they're common in sports - not just football - and while most people recover from concussions, all concussions are potentially serious because they're a brain injury," Dr. Herring said. "So they should be taken seriously."
