Concussion Information
Pre-Participation Reqs, Post-Concussion Mgmt., & MA DPH Return to Play Protocol
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What is a Concussion?
What is a Concussion?
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells.
Concussions Are Serious
Medical providers may describe a concussion as a “mild” brain injury because concussions are usually not life-threatening. Even so, the effects of a concussion can be serious due to various factors if the injury is not managed properly.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
This page acts as an on-demand resource for student-athletes, parents, and coaches in the management of when a student-athlete sustains a head injury. From explaining the Pre-Participation Concussion Requirements and providing post-concussion home care and in-school management guides to describing the MA DPH Post-Concussion Graduated Return to Play Protocol and providing all KP's Head Injury Documents, this page has information regarding every aspect of a student-athlete's care should a head injury occur.
Pre-Participation Concussion Requirements
Pre-Participation Concussion Requirements
The ImPACT Baseline is a neurocognitive testing battery that gathers Baseline data to measure against when determining readiness to return to participation after sustaining a diagnosed concussion.
Before participating in extracurricular activities, the Athletics Department has each student take the ImPACT Baseline exam at least twice during their high school athletic career. Ideally, the ImPACT Baseline Exams are taken before their first season of athletic participation of the academic year during their Freshman and Junior years. However, some student-athletes may either have skipped athletic participation at some point during their high school tenure or be on a different testing schedule for various reasons.
The ImPACT Baseline Exam should be taken by the student-athlete at home on a laptop or computer in a quiet room without distractions, taking approximately 30-40 minutes to complete. Once the exam is complete, the information is stored in King Philip's ImPACT account. Do not email the athletic trainer the ImPACT confirmation receipt as student names are not part of the confirmation email.
If your ImPACT Baseline receipt's test type is labeled "Baseline ++" compared to "Baseline", it indicates the ImPACT algorithm flagged the results of the ImPACT Baseline Exam of the student as invalid. Per procedure, the ImPACT Baseline Exam must be retaken by the student to provide the ImPACT algorithm with more data. Upon retaking the ImPACT Baseline and the test type is labeled "Baseline ++", follow up with the Athletic Trainer for further instructions.
Student-Athletes and parents/guardians must complete the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) free online concussion course prior to registration once annually before their or their student's first season of athletic participation of the academic year. The free online courses are available through the links provided and contain all the information required by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. At the end of the course, the viewer will receive a completion receipt. The entire course, including registration, can be completed in less than 30 minutes.
The student-athlete's course, Concussion for Students, developed in partnership with the Barrow Neurological Institute, has been designed specifically for students to inform them on how to identify, react to, and prevent concussions.
For the Parent, Guardian, and Coach course, Concussion in Sport, the NFHS has teamed up with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to educate coaches, officials, parents, and students on the importance of proper concussion recognition and management in high school sports.
Post-Concussion Home Care & In-School Management
Post-Concussion Home Care & In-School Management
Home Care
Home Care
After a head injury suspected of being a concussion, a student-athlete should seek out an evaluation by their Primary Care Physician for a diagnosis. From the moment of injury until the evaluation, a student-athlete and their parent/guardian should refer to the App G: Concussion Information - Home Instruction Sheet for recommendations for recovery and red flag signs/symptoms to monitor.
As a student heals from a head injury at home, it is highly advised for them to complete the Daily Symptom Severity Scale Form once in the morning and once in the evening to track symptom severity over time. This information can be helpful to the student's Primary Care Physician in diagnosing the head injury. It can also be useful information for the school's nursing staff in gauging return to school.
In-School Management
In-School Management
A student-athlete with a diagnosed concussion should refer to the App H: Concussion Information - Student In-School Management Guide as a resource to provide them with the needed excerpts from the Student Concussion Policy and Academic Accommodation Form. Any student recovering from a concussion should have a copy of the Student In-School Management Guide filled out by the nursing staff printed out and on hand to reference.
As the student-athlete recovers from the concussion, it is required for them to complete the Daily Symptom Severity Scale Form with the nursing staff once in the morning and once in the afternoon to track symptom severity while attending school. This information is beneficial for the nursing staff and athletic trainer when measuring readiness to return to athletics. Once a student-athlete has been symptom-free for a 24-hour period and has been provided clearance by their Primary Care Physician, they can begin the Post-Concussion Graduated Return to Play Protocol.
King Philip Athletic Department Concussion Docs & Descriptions
King Philip Athletic Department Concussion Docs & Descriptions
The purpose of this policy is to provide information and standardized procedures for persons involved in the prevention, training management and return to activity decisions regarding students who incur head injuries while involved in extracurricular athletic activities including, but not limited to, interscholastic sports, in order to protect their health and safety as required by Massachusetts law and regulations.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health Post Sports-Related Head Injury Medical Clearance and Authorization Form – The current version of the form that provides clearance when a student-athlete is returning from a head injury or concussion. The form must be filled out by a duly licensed healthcare provider after the student is back in the classroom full-time without concussion-related academic accommodation(s). This form may be filled out before or after a student-athlete completes stages 1-4 of the gradual return to play protocol but before returning the student-athlete to participation. A student-athlete’s physician may provide consultation/coordination/supervision for the school’s athletic trainer to complete the form after the student-athlete meets the requirements for clearance.
The second page details further guidance for the healthcare provider, student-athlete, and their parent/guardian and includes the details of the Gradual Return to Play Protocol that will be managed and overseen by the school’s athletic trainer.
This form is to report head injuries (other than minor cuts or bruises) that occur during a sports season. This form MUST be completed by a parent, coach, or athletic trainer after a head injury. It should be returned to the athletic director or staff member designated by the school and reviewed by the school nurse.
This form provides academic accommodations for students who has suffered a diagnosed concussion. This form guides the student's teacher in setting up academic accommodations for the student as they recover from a concussion. This form DOES NOT provide clearance for a student/student-athlete to return to extracurricular activity (athletics, band, etc.).
This form provides the school nurse an updated status of a student who has suffered a head injury and possible concussion. The physician completing this form must select one of the options but may provide any of these options on their organization’s letterhead, provided necessary information is present as an equivalent. This form, or its equivalent, must be provided to the school nurse upon the student returning to school.
This form provides the basic first steps in identifying a potential head injury. It is not mandatory for this form to be completed for every head injury that may occur. It should only be used in non-life-threatening situations.
This form measures a student or student-athletes symptom severity as they progress to symptom-free status. When a student or student-athlete has returned to school after a diagnosed concussion, they are required to fill out this form in the nurse’s office once a day.
While not required, this form is also available to assist parents/guardians in tracking symptoms while a student or student-athlete is out of school after a diagnosed concussion.
This sheet provides information and guidance for students, student-athletes, and parents/guardians for the first 24-48 hours after a head injury and potential concussion.
This guide provides excerpts from the Student Concussion Policy and Academic Accommodation Form to a student or student-athlete who has returned to school after a diagnosed concussion.
Other Helpful Links
Other Helpful Links
MA Dept of Public Health: Sports Related Concussions and Head Injuries
105 CMR 201.000: Head Injuries and Concussions in Extracurricular Activities
Sport concussion assessment tool - 6th edition - Assessment tool for licensed medical professionals
Concussion recognition tool 6 - Assessment tool for non-medical individuals
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