A little about my background with concussions...
I've had about 8-10 concussions in my life, most of them from soccer, which I played growing up and in high school and college. I also have a degree in Athletic Training (sports medicine field, not to be confused with personal training, which is fitness-based) and have worked with numerous athletes who have had concussions. I have personal and professional experience with concussions, and have learned a lot about them through both areas.
I won't go into too much detail. This is the need to know information.
Ideally, if an athlete gets hit in the head during a game or practice, they should come out and not play for the rest of the day. You may be thinking, "what if they feel fine and their head doesn't hurt?" I still say that the best thing to do is be cautious and take the rest of the day off. This is because, right after an athlete sustains a hit, someone is going to be asking them how they feel and how their head is. In a lot of situations, especially games, or in bitter cold or heat, the athlete will be feeling a whole lot of things. Some of these things could be because of fatigue from the activity, but it also may be a symptom of a concussion. Especially when you're answering all those questions up front, a lot of athletes want to say what they think you want to hear just to get back in the game (I may or may not be guilty of this). Also if the athlete is experiencing confusion or the feeling of being "zoned out" as I call it, they may not be the best judge of how they feel. You should be especially cautious with younger athletes and athletes who have a history of concussion(s). Keep in mind that everyone is different and will react differently, but know yourself or your athlete and make the best decision for the athlete as a human being. Maybe if you'rethinking about only their athletic career they should go back in, but thinking about their health and brain, they should sit down.
So, if symptoms appear, the athlete must get checked out by an athletic trainer or doctor. No exceptions. They'll do some nerve testing, memory and function testing, and balance testing. What we want to rule out is a brain bleed (subdural or epidural hematoma). When that's ruled out, what the athlete needs is rest. Now, there is an old principle that someone with a concussion should not be allowed to sleep, or should be woken up every few hours. This is a myth, so long as there's no bleeding in the brain. After an athlete gets examined, their recovery is going to consist of a whole lot of rest.
I want to stress the fact that an athlete needs physical rest and mental rest. Your brain is what's hurt. Try not to use it too much. If you have a concussion and you go back to school or work, that's like spraining your ankle and then jumping on it. Rest your brain.
Return to play is when patience is key. You need to wait until you have been symptom free for at least 24 hours. Then, you can start slowly with light exercise. Do not go immediately back into full contact competition. Slowly work your way up to full contact by starting with some light fitness, then getting into more functional work, some tougher fitness, and then finally full contact. Do not proceed to the next level if there is any return of symptoms. This is also something I was guilty of, and now I regret it! I didn't have any patience to let my poor brain heal. Let it heal! It's important!
I hope that helped give you some idea about how to deal with concussions or head trauma. If you have any questions about anything else, don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks for reading! And let me know if you'd like me to do more on concussions.
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Later!
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