Step 3: Inform the athlete’s parents or guardians about the possible concussion and give them the fact sheet concussion.

Make sure they know that the athlete should been by a health care professional experienced in evaluating concussion.

A Concussion Fact Sheet for Parents.

(Source: US Department of Health and Human Services: Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

Step 2: Ensure that the athlete is evaluated right away by an appropriate health care professional.

Do not try to judge the severity of the injury yourself.  Health care professionals have a number of methods that they can use to assess the severity of concussions. As a coach, recording the following information can help the health care professionals in assessing the athlete after injury:

• Cause of the Injury and the force of the hit or blow to the head
• Any loss of consciousness (passed out/knocked out) and if so, for how long
• Any memory loss immediately following the injury
• Any seizures immediately following the injury
• Number of previous concussions (If any)

(Source: US Department of Health and Human Services: Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

Step 1: Remove athlete from play.

Look for the signs and symptoms of a concussion if your athlete has experienced a bump or blow to the head. Athletes who experience signs or symptoms of concussion should not be allowed to return to play.  When in doubt, keep the athlete out of play.

(Source: US Department of Health and Human Services: Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

Next week, this blog will post a different step of the action plan that should be carried out when an athlete may have had a concussion. So check back next week for the step-by-step course on how to handle the situation.

(source: US Department of Health and Human Services: Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

(Photo Credit: http://www.spameditationbliss.com/Images/whole_brain.jpeg)

“Dr. Robert C. Cantu, a neurosurgeon who is an expert on sports-related concussions, says every parent with a child who plays a contact or collision sport should have what is called the Graded Symptom Checklist…”

Check out The New York Times article… http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/health/25bside.html?_r=1

Photo Credit: The New York Times