CONCUSSION AWARENESS POLICY

I.Background

  • Each year more than 750,000 Americans are injured during recreational sports. Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury.
  • Concussions are often untreated because few symptoms are visible to casual observers. An athlete may also experience considerable pressure from spectators, teammates and coaches to resume playing. Multiple concussions over time may result in cumulative damage, and repeated concussions over a short period may lead to second-impact syndrome.
  • The term "concussion" is often used in the medical literature as a synonym for a mild traumatic brain injury. If a concussion is managed appropriately, the prognosis for complete recovery is good.

II.Signs of Brain Injury

  • Whenever an individual loses consciousness, the brain has suffered an injury. However, most brain injuries do not involve loss of consciousness. Therefore, it is essential for a coach to keep a player out of a game where there are any signs or symptoms of a concussion
  • The hallmarks of concussion are confusion and amnesia, often without preceding loss of consciousness.
  • The amnesia generally involves loss of memory for the traumatic event but frequently includes loss of recall for events immediately before or after the head trauma. An athlete with amnesia may be unable to recall details about recent plays in the game or details of well-known current events in the news. Amnesia also may be evidenced by an athlete repeatedly asking a question that has already been answered.
  • The below table of “Signs and Symptoms” that “may indicate that a concussion has occurred” was issued by the Center for Disease Control as part of its “Heads Up – Concussion in Youth Sports” program. It is an excellent guide for on-site identification 0f the possibility of a concussion in an athlete.

SIGNS OBSERVED BY
COACHING STAFF / SYMPTOMS REPORTED BY ATHLETE
Appears dazed or stunned / Headache or “pressure” in head
Is confused about assignment or position / Nausea or vomiting
Forgets sports plays / Balance problems or dizziness
Is unsure of game, score, or opponent / Double or blurry vision
Moves clumsily / Sensitivity to light
Answers questions slowly / Sensitivity to noise
Loses consciousness (even briefly) / Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy
Shows behavior or personality changes / Concentration or memory problems
Can’t recall events prior to hit or fall / Confusion
Can’t recall events after hit or fall / Does not “feel right”
  • Baseline Testing – Through a grant by the Chatham Athletic Foundation, the Atlantic Neuroscience Institutes Concussion Center provides a concussion awareness and treatment program. This program is available to all athletes at least 10 years of age in the Chatham Recreation program. The following link provides further information:

III.Legal Requirements

  • New Jersey law provides:

A student who participates in an interscholastic sports program or cheerleading program and who sustains or is suspected of having sustained a concussion or other head injury while engaged in a competition or practice shall be immediately removed from the competition or practice. A student-athlete or cheerleader who is removed from competition or practice shall not participate in further sports or cheerleading activity until he is evaluated by a physician or other licensed healthcare provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussions, and receives written clearance from a physician trained in the evaluation and management of concussions to return to competition or practice. [N.J.S.A. 18A:41.4.]

  • Any coach who observes an athlete that sustained or may have sustained a concussion or other head injury must immediately remove that player from the remainder of the game or practice.
  • The removal of a player due to sustained or suspected concussion or head injury must be reported as soon as practicable by the head coach or an assistant coach to either the President of the BCC, the Overall League Coordinator, or the League Coordinator (who shall then inform the President and the Overall League Coordinator).

No player shall be permitted to resume athletic activity, whether in a game or practice, until the requirements of New Jersey law are satisfied, as determined by the President of the BCC and/or the Overall League Coordinator.

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