Concussion also referred to as a mild traumatic brain injury, results from falls, collisions, and other heavy contacts in sports ( Saffary et al . 2012). It is an injury that can result in alteration of the mental function in a period lasting less than 24 hours and might or might not be accompanied by loss of consciousness. The director of the NCAA Division 3 College has received a call that his top scorer for the season, Angie, has made contact with an opposing player while going for a header and appears to show signs of a concussion. However, the coach refuses to take Angie from the game but later substitutes her. Angie is surprised with the decision to take her out because she feels she is fine.
As the athletic director, the first step to take is to ensure that Angie does not return for the second half and is immediately subjected to medical attention. Anyone that shows any signs of concussion or head injury should not continue playing for that particular day ( Schneider et al . (2013). Taking part in an active match before the brain returns to full functioning might expose the person to more serious brain injuries. The decision as to when the player safely returns to the pitch should not be made by the player or the coach, but solely by a doctor.
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In many cases, a concussion can go untreated because many symptoms are not visible as pointed out by Leddy et al. (2012). The player’s input as to whether they are fit to play should be disregarded given that they could be acting out of emotional pressure to resume the game as asserted by Doolan et al. (2012). The pressure could emanate from coaches, spectators, and the athlete’s desires like in the case of Angie where she feels that she could help her team win the match.
As the director of athletics in the college it is imperative to ensure that the coach and the trainers are subjected to training that will give them the necessary skills to determine the signs and symptoms of concussion ( Harmon et al . 2013). They should also be taught to appreciate the fact that the player requires medical help when they have a head injury.
References
Doolan, A. W., Day, D. D., Maerlender, A. C., Goforth, M., & Brolinson, P. G. (2012). A review of return to play issues and sports-related concussion. Annals of biomedical engineering , 40 (1), 106-113.
Harmon, K. G., Drezner, J. A., Gammons, M., Guskiewicz, K. M., Halstead, M., Herring, S. A., ... & Roberts, W. O. (2013). American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement: concussion in sport. Br J Sports Med , 47 (1), 15-26.
Leddy, J. J., Sandhu, H., Sodhi, V., Baker, J. G., & Willer, B. (2012). Rehabilitation of concussion and post-concussion syndrome. Sports Health , 4 (2), 147-154.
Saffary, R., Chin, L. S., & Cantu, R. C. (2012). Sports medicine: Concussions in sports. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine , 6 (2), 133-140.
Schneider, K. J., Iverson, G. L., Emery, C. A., McCrory, P., Herring, S. A., & Meeuwisse, W. H. (2013). The effects of rest and treatment following sport-related concussion: a systematic review of the literature. Br J Sports Med , 47 (5), 304-307.
