Are sports organizations like FIFA taking concussions in sports seriously enough?

What happens when the drive to play outweighs the potential risk of injury? Some high school athletes are finding ways around the precautions coaching and medical staff take to ensure their safety.

St Kilda's former number-one draft pick Paddy McCartin's problems with concussion reach a critical point, with the forward de-listed and sitting out the 2020 season to get his health in order.

(United States Third Circuit) - In a class action suit against the National Football League (NFL), brought by former players who alleged that the NFL failed to inform them of and protect them from the risks of concussions in football, the District Court's judgment is affirmed where the District Court was right to certify the class and approve the settlement.

An Illinois judge has dismissed the nation's first class-action lawsuit against a state high school association over its handling of concussions, ruling that it had made strides in that regard since the filing of the lawsuit.

Neurocognitive testing is recommended for the assessment of sport-related concussions. Computerized neurocognitive tests are more sensitive and more efficient than traditional neuropsychological testing in assessing sport-related concussions.

We describe the current prevalence of computerized neurocognitive testing, the relative use of the various computerized programs, the types of clinicians interpreting test scores, and associations of computerized tests with timing of return-to-play and medical provider type managing the athlete. (Read the full article)

The pathophysiology of pediatric sports-related concussion (SRC) is largely unknown. Studies of concussed adults have identified neuronal and axonal injury and time-limited metabolic disruptions. An experimental animal model has also demonstrated physiologic perturbations, including reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF).

Using MRI techniques, we found no evidence of neuronal, axonal, or metabolic disruptions in 12 children with SRC. However, when compared with controls, statistically significant alterations in CBF were defined and frequently persisted beyond 30 days after injury. (Read the full article)

Previous studies have revealed misconceptions among pediatric patients, their families, and athletic coaches surrounding concussion. Little is known about pediatric primary care and emergency medicine providers’ attitudes and beliefs about diagnosis and management of this mild traumatic brain injury.

Although pediatric primary care and emergency medicine providers regularly care for concussion patients and value their role in management, they may not have adequate training or infrastructure to systematically diagnose and manage these patients. (Read the full article)

Although concussion is increasingly being diagnosed in the pediatric population, little is known about what factors lead to prolonged postconcussive symptoms in children. In particular, the effect of previous history of concussion on recovery from a repeat injury is unclear.

Children with a history of previous concussion, particularly recent or multiple concussions, are at increased risk for prolonged symptoms after concussion. This suggests that repeat concussion, particularly within a vulnerable time window, may lead to longer duration of symptoms. (Read the full article)

Cognitive rest is recommended for the management of sport-related concussions. There are limited data to support this recommendation.

This study adds empirical data supporting the recommendation for cognitive rest after a sport-related concussion. (Read the full article)

Concussions in youth are a common injury evaluated in the emergency department (ED). Early recognition and active management of this mild traumatic brain injury are important to safe recovery. Tools to assess and manage concussion in the ED are lacking.

Acute Concussion Evaluation tools, modified for ED use, improved reported follow-up with primary care or concussion specialists and adherence to recommendations. Barriers to follow-up remain and the importance of ongoing outpatient management should be stressed. (Read the full article)

Children are often evaluated in the emergency department after a concussion. Although prolonged symptoms are associated with higher initial symptom severity when measured 2 to 3 weeks after injury, a similar association with acute symptom severity has not been demonstrated.

Higher acute symptom severity is not associated with development of persistent post-concussion symptoms 1 month after injury, but persistent post-concussive symptoms affect a significant number of children after concussion. Outpatient follow-up is essential to identify children who develop persistent symptoms. (Read the full article)

Recent concussion research has examined the role of impact location (ie, the area on the head to which impact occurred); however, no studies exist regarding impact location’s association with concussion outcomes (eg, symptomatology, symptom resolution time, return to play).

This study is the first to examine the association of impact location and concussion outcomes in young athletes. Our findings suggest that impact location, as assessed by sideline observers/player report, is likely of little use in predicting clinical outcomes. (Read the full article)

Expert consensus recommends rest after concussion with stepwise return to activity. Animal and retrospective human data suggest that early mental and physical activity may worsen outcome. There are no pediatric studies testing the efficacy of recommending strict rest after concussion.

Recommending strict rest postinjury did not improve outcome and may have contributed to increased symptom reporting. Usual care (rest for 1–2 days with stepwise return to activity) is currently the best discharge strategy for pediatric mild traumatic brain injury/concussion. (Read the full article)

Concussion produces a range of symptoms that may impede academic functioning. The need for empirical validation exists, despite growing consensus on the importance of a guided return-to-school process for students recovering from concussion.

This study provides initial evidence of a concussion’s adverse effects on academic learning and performance across all grades, including heightened levels of school-related concern and amplified postinjury academic difficulties experienced by symptomatic students relative to their recovered peers. (Read the full article)

A growing number of students have experienced a brain injury that could affect their ability to learn in school. Yet most teachers aren't prepared to work with these students.

Title: No Link Found Between Playing Football in Hot Weather, Concussion Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2014 4:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2014 12:00:00 AM

Title: Women's Brains May Have Tougher Time Recovering From Concussion
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/28/2015 12:00:00 AM

Ashleigh Gardner has already suffered five concussions in her short cricket career, but the 22-year-old all-rounder hopes to use the experiences to make her a better player.

Concussion symptoms, including loss of consciousness, disorientation, or nausea after a head injury, might lead to low testosterone and erectile dysfunction

Early morning blue light therapy was found to decrease depression and other concussion symptoms in people with mild traumatic brain injury, stated study

Former Great Britain captain Alex Danson-Bennett has retired from hockey after failing to fully recover from a 'life-changing' head injury.

WILL KELLEHER IN OTSU: Dan Biggar will be fit to face Fiji in Wales' next World Cup match after he was knocked out while saving a try in the win over Australia.

WILL KELLEHER IN OITA: The first-choice No 10 was knocked out by his own team-mate, Liam Williams, in the second half of Wales' 29-17 win.

Fly-half Rhys Patchell will be assessed ahead of Wales' World Cup departure on Wednesday after he was concussed during their final warm-up game.

The Pentagon raised the number of US service members injured to 50 after Iran retaliated on January 8 for the US drone strike month that killed General Qassem Soleimani.

The man who showed footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to die from conditions linked to brain or nerve damage has slammed FIFA's rule-makers for failing to act sooner to protect players.

The football advisory panel and technical advisory panel of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will meet in Zurich on October 23. The agenda for the meeting was released on Tuesday.

As the NFL begins to address the existential problems that brain trauma pose, see how innovations in protection, impact monitoring, and training techniques are being developed to protect players.

This week, we chat about a blood test that could predict recovery time after a concussion, new insights into the bizarre hagfish’s anatomy, and a cheap paper centrifuge based on a toy, with Online News Editor David Grimm. Plus, Science’s Alexa Billow talks to Christian Koerner about why just planting any old tree isn’t the answer to our carbon problem.    Listen to previous podcasts.   [Image: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington; Music: Jeffrey Cook]

Interview with Donald A. Redelmeier, MD, FRCPC, MSHSR, FACP, author of Association Between Statin Use and Risk of Dementia After a Concussion

Interview with Rachel Grashow, PhD, MS, author of Association of Concussion Symptoms With Testosterone Levels and Erectile Dysfunction in Former Professional US-Style Football Players

Interview with Lynn Babcock, MD, MS, author of Identifying Children and Adolescents at Risk for Persistent Postconcussion Symptoms

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