Lakeland Hockey Association Season Kick-Off Meeting Marc Plizga, ATC NovaCare Rehabilitation Concussion Awareness

The Problem Can be hard to measure Full extent of injury often not known until hours after injury More likely to occur in games than practice At age level the rate of concussion is 4X higher in checking leagues than non checking leagues 44% of concussions are from legal hits

Definition A traumatically induced alternation in mental status not necessarily resulting in loss of consciousness Dinged, bell rung, foggy, etc = CONCUSSION

Signs and Symptoms Reported by the player: Headache Nausea Balance problems Dizziness Vision Problems Sensitive to light or noise Feeling foggy or sluggish Concentration Problems Memory Problems Change in sleep pattern

Signs and Symptoms cont’ed What you may see: Dazed or stunned Unsure of surroundings Confusion Forgetfulness Moves clumsily Personality Change

What To Do Have a plan- NOW Take them out- ALWAYS If any loss of consciousness- they are done and need to be referred Orientation Questions Repeat simple word sequence Establish baseline for later testing

What To Do Watch the player closely- never leave alone After 5 minutes reassess symptoms and re-test the baseline Decide next steps Make sure caregivers are given instructions for home

Return to Play? No signs and symptoms- no matter how subtle Physician & parents drive the process

Why so conservative? Seems too cautious…

Second Impact Syndrome- SIS The brain is susceptible to further damage from a second less severe hit if it does not heal fully from the first hit. Many times a second impact is routine in nature but has devastating consequences

Prevention Can’t put a helmet directly over the brain Coach on high hits/head blows/blind side hits Coach on how to accept contact and positional awareness Above All….

TEACH HEADS UP HOCKEY

Take Aways Take it seriously Have a plan- including prevention Know the signs and symptoms Ask questions before allowing return to play

Resources USA Hockey Heads up video USA Hockey Heads Up Hockey Resources x?NAV=ET&id=182214http://usahockey.com/Template_Usahockey.asp x?NAV=ET&id= CDC Heads up Youth Sports htmlhttp:// html Dicks Sporting Goods PACE Program