Below is a three-part educational video about concussions and concussion management. The presentation is directed toward athletes, parents, coaches, athletic directors, school nurses, and all health care professionals who may come in contact and treat these student-athletes who are suspected of having a head injury.
Please double click the video to open in new window in order to view.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Rules/Laws
Some athletic governing bodies have created mandates on concussion management for athletes who play in their organization. Listed is a sampling of the mandates that have been initiated to protect the athletes.
National Football League (NFL) Mandate: When diagnosed with a concussion, athlete must be removed from game or practice, and must be cleared before return to action by the team physician and an independent physician.
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): "Institutions shall have a concussion management plan on file such that a student-athlete who exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion shall be removed from practice or competition and evaluated by an athletics healthcare provider with experience in the evaluation and management of concussions. Student-athletes diagnosed with a concussion shall not return to activity for the remainder of that day. Medical clearance shall be determined by the team physician or his or her designee according to the concussion management plan." - 2010-2011 NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook
The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Mandate:"Effective with the 2010 season, any player who shows signs, symptoms, or behaviors associated with a concussion must be removed from the game and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate healthcare professional."
Effective July 1, 2011, Indiana Senate Bill 93 will require the Department of Education to distribute guidelines, information sheets, and forms to inform and educate coaches, student athletes and their parents of the nature and risk of concussions and head injuries.
Each year a student athlete participates the information must be given to them and their parents. The parents will be required to return a form acknowledging that they received the information to the student's coach before beginning practice for a sport.
If a student athlete is suspected of sustaining a head injury or concussion they must be removed from play at the time of the injury. The student athlete may not return to play until they have received written clearance from a licensed health care provider trained in evaluating head injuries.
