I Don't Have a Concussion, I Just Had My Bell Rung!
As the NFL Playoffs and the NHL season are in full swing; we are reminded of athletic injuries and especially concussions on a daily basis through the news media. The amount of attention paid to concussions during television broadcasts and in newspaper publications has enabled for the transmission of a tremendous amount of educational information. This information has reached players, coaches, and average fans. Athletic trainers have always been concerned about head injuries in sport and the sports medicine staff at Iowa State has been on the forefront of preseason testing and injury diagnosis for more than a decade.
We have all heard the statement, "I'm fine. I only had my bell rung." That has been the mindset in athletics for a long time. And a recent survey done by the Associated Press confirms that notion. The information in the survey showed that 23 of 44 NFL players interviewed would hide or limit reported symptoms with regard to concussion during a game. However, in the same article; the NFL players interviewed also state that they are aware of the long term effects of concussion and brain injuries. They understand that a "ding" or "having your bell rung" is a serious injury and that hiding a concussion can put their long term health in question.
As athletic trainers, this is a concerning issue. We spend a great deal of time educating our athletes and patients; with the ultimate goal of raising awareness with regard to concussion. During a team presentation, it is stressed to the student-athlete that this education and all of our baseline testing is designed to protect them and their teammates. At Iowa State, we follow the NCAA guidelines during preseason meetings. This includes a short lecture to the team explaining the facts as well as signs and symptoms of concussion. All team members are instructed in how to recognize signs and symptoms of a possible concussion in themselves as well as their teammates while they are on the field of play. Furthermore, our student-athletes acknowledge that they will report a possible concussion to the certified athletic trainer or team physician covering their event. Does this always happen? I would like to say yes, but we all know that there are cases where symptoms are not reported until obvious signs are noticed from the sideline.
Educational efforts of health-care providers have worked; with regard to raising awareness and growing the base of knowledge that athletes have now. But continual work to change the culture of self reporting the injury will be an ongoing process. As this generation of student-athletes grow up with a greater base of knowledge and unlimited information available to them with a just few short keystrokes; they will hopefully impart a sense of urgency for diagnosis upon the younger people that they coach and mentor in the future.
Thanks for following our blog and stay tuned for next week's edition. We will outline our testing, concussion management, and return to play protocol.
Go Cyclones!
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