My Brother's Keeper

In an AP article from ABC it was reported that “nearly a fifth of 160 NFL players asked said they hid the effects of concussion.” If you talk to college and other school aged athletes in all sports you would likely find a similar sentiment. Athletes love to compete and if they do not fully understand the implications of playing with a concussion, (and sometimes even when they do) they will try to “play through it.” This issue is even more acute for athletes who are at risk of not making the team or who perceive some risk of losing their spot on the team. If you add this group of athletes who are reticent to report concussion to those who are unable to, either because they are too confused or do not recognize the symptoms, you have a significant number of athletes that are at risk of a second, possibly debilitating, concussion.

In order to increase the likelihood that those who have suffered a concussion are quickly identified the NFL “wants players to keep tabs on each other and tell their teams if they believe someone else has a head injury” according to the ABC report. This kind of front line peer support is essential in the process of keeping athletes safe from the cumulative effect of repeated concussion over a short period of time. An athlete with a suspected concussion that is indentified by his/her teammates can be evaluated by someone trained in concussion management and the proper disposition can be achieved. The athlete may be fine and can return to the game or she/he may need to sit out for further evaluation.

If the process of using teammates to help indentify athletes who may have sustained a concussion is going to be effective there needs to be a process in place to educate players about concussion. The CDC has some helpful information to assist in the process, but it also requires that coaches and other athletic staff take this problem seriously. If everyone who is involved in athletics understands the signs and symptoms of concussion we can make second impact syndrome and other serious consequences of repeated concussion within a short period of time a thing of the past.