Concussion Awareness

Concussions feel different for every person. There are different categories of symptoms that you may feel including emotional, physical, and cognitive. If you had a hit to the head and feel one or some of the below symptoms you might have a concussion. If you suspect you may have a concussion, talk to your Athletic Trainers. Concussions cannot be seen with an X-ray or MRI machine, because they are a metabolic injury. Concussions are usually evaluated based on patient history and current symptoms.

Common Symptoms

• Headache

• Dizziness/Can't balance

• Nausea and/or Vomiting

• Fatigue/Drowsiness

• Sleep Problems

• Difficulty with Concentrating or Remembering

• Feeling Slow

• Sadness

• Irritability

• Anxiety

• Sensitivity to Light or Noise

All concussions should be reported to the Athletic Trainers (ATs) immediately. They will evaluate you and your symptoms and advice on how to recover. The ATs follow the Concussion Management Program which is governed by the rules and guidelines set by the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) and Hawaii Law (Act 197 Relating to Concussions).

After an initial evaluation, the ATs will collaborate with the your physician and a neuropsychologist to determine when you are ready to start a Return to Play (RTP) program.

Recovery of a concussion generally involves rest. Remember, it is a myth that you need to continuously wake up a person who has a concussion - sleep is their friend! After rest, a gradual and supervised return to exercise is the recommended treatment for a concussion. The ATs will monitor you and give you a customized RTP program to get you back to sports quickly and safely!

The ATs will work with your guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators on your Return to Learn (RTL), while also developing your Return to Play (RTP) program. A gradual and progressive return is key to recovering from a concussion, and it is important to do this both on the field and in the classroom.

This is a common RTP Program, but they may vary on the severity of your concussion and which sport you play.

RTP Program

(Each step is separated by a minimum of 24 hours.)

• Step 1: Complete cognitive rest. This may include staying home from school or limiting school hours and study for several days which would be determined by a physician or AT and supported by school administration. Activities requiring concentration and attention may worsen symptoms and delay recovery.

• Step 2: Return to school full time. Steps 3-7 will be supervised by the high school AT.

• Step 3: Light exercise. This step cannot begin until student athlete is cleared by the treating physician for further activity. At this point, the student athlete may begin walking or riding a stationary bike under supervision.

• Step 4: Running in the gym or on the field.

• Step 5: Non-contact training drills in full equipment. Weight training can begin.

• Step 6: Full contact practice or training.

• Step 7: Play in game.

The main reason concussions are treated so seriously and all concussions need to be reported are to prevent Second Impact Syndrome. No one is punished for not reporting a concussion, we want you to report it so we can keep you safe, healthy, and alive.

Second Impact Syndrome

"Second impact syndrome, or SIS, happens when the brain swells rapidly shortly after a person suffers a second concussion before symptoms from an earlier concussion have gone away. While this does not happen often, when it does it is usually fatal. The few who do not die from such an event are usually left severely disabled for life.

It is a devastating event because young, otherwise healthy patients can die within a few minutes of suffering the second concussion. Death or lifelong disability occurs because the brain suddenly loses its ability to regulate cerebral spinal fluid pressure, leading to severe swelling of the brain and possible herniation of the brain.

The impact of the second event does not have to be strong to trigger second impact syndrome. A minor blow to the head, chest or back that snaps the head enough to cause the brain to move inside the skull can trigger the usually lethal damage."

For more info on SIS visit here and here