Litigation

The dangers of public misconception about concussions

By Michael Kaplen

A column in today?s Washington Post, When it comes to concussions, young men will play now, pay later, points to the important need to better educate players, spouses and parents about the dangers associated with concussions.

From years of watching players just shake off a head trauma, to popular films  that depict concussions and even comas as no big deal with a full recovery promised, the public has come to believe that a concussion is nothing to worry about.  That belief needs to be fixed by a far reaching education campaign.  In schools and in locker rooms, players need to know the long term consequences of hiding their symptoms, parents must be given the proper information and spouses need to know what are the signs and symptoms of a concussion so that they can properly assess their wounded loved one.

As proof of the belief system that needs to be changed, the Post did an informal survey of high school football players and asked them the following question:

Let's say your team is playing in a championship in three days. You're still feeling the effects of a big hit that you took in the previous game. You're experiencing headaches or blurred vision or general fogginess but remain functional. Do you report this to your parents or coach or school athletic trainer, knowing that, given your symptoms, they very well might make you sit out the championship? Or do you conceal this information, at least until after the game, risking further damage to your brain?

Surprisingly, most players answered that they would play if they were physically capable, no matter that a sustained concussion could endanger their still-developing brain for a lifetime and that the waning of symptoms does not necessarily indicate a clean bill of health. 

Here are some of the comments:

A defensive lineman said, "Depending on how big the game is, like if it was a state championship, I would have to take that risk."

A  junior receiver came to the following conclusion, "If you love the game like you say you do, then you might as well go out and play until it really affects you."

A junior linebacker remarked, "I want that ring. I worked hard for that ring. This might be the only chance that I get. So I'd just take the risk."

Here is what a senior linebacker observed, "Everything you've been working for your whole life is coming down to this one game, and even though you have this injury that might affect you for years to come, you wouldn't want to regret not playing, and your team lose, when you know you could have made a difference."

Part of the problem is that a concussion is an invisible injury.  A person looks normal and we have been trained to believe that we can make an accurate assessment of a person?s condition just by looking at them.  Not true for concussions, a person suffering from head trauma doesn?t need a wheelchair, doesn?t walk with a limp and looks just like everyone else, but this is not what the public understands.

According to the post story, here is how fellow teammates view a concussed player: A guy sitting out with a head injury looks like he always does. He has no cast or limp to indicate that he's hurt. So there he is, in street clothes, while everyone else is practicing or playing, prompting good-natured (but at times stinging) comments.

I have viewed short films sponsored by the National Hockey League and Neuropsychological groups that feature prominent players who have sustained career ending concussions describe the dangers to fellow players.  Films like this need to be shown early and often to players so they understand the dangers of hiding their symptoms.

Remember,  When in doubt, keep them out!

You can read the full story in the post by clicking here.

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on December 10, 2009 (boomark / email).