1. Playing experience (yrs)
THE AWARENESS LEVEL OF CONCUSSION INJURIES AMONG AMATEUR ATHLETES AND COACHES
Ben Kirk1, Rosanna Cousins1, Dominic O’ Connor2, Shaun M. Phillips3
1Liverpool Hope University, 2University of Abertay, 3University of Edinburgh.
INTRODUCTION
RESULTS
Sports-related concussions (SRC) are the second most common type of acute brain injury, and remain one of the most complex and difficult athletic injuries to diagnose (1).
Symptoms include: headaches confusion, loss of balance, amnesia, and fatigue, all of which may persist for several months and detrimental to health (2).
Identification relies heavily on athlete self-report, whilst treatment and management requires rigorous assessment by coaches and medical experts (2).
Although creditable research exists in professional sports surrounding concussion knowledge of athletes and coaches (3), there is limited information in amateur sports, where typically there is lack of resources and medical staff available.
Therefore, research is warranted to examine the awareness level of concussions in amateur university sports, where participation is high, yet knowledge level is somewhat unknown.
Causes
85% of rugby players correctly identified how an athlete could suffer a SRC. 35% of athletes believed it was ok to “carry on playing”, “tell the coach after the game” or “not tell anyone”. All coaches correctly identified concussion causes.
Treatment
40% of rugby union athletes believed players could return to play two days after suffering a concussion.
25% of coaches did not know how to identify a SRC and 25% were unaware of the return to play guidelines.
Symptoms
35% of athletes believed that a player must lose consciousness to suffer from a concussion and 20% believed that it was safe to play with concussion.
Figure 1: Percentage of correct responses to Part A
Prevention
One third of rugby union players (30%) and 35% of Gaelic footballers incorrectly identifying how a player can protect themselves during play.
CONCLUSIONS
Athletes and coaches hold considerable misconceptions surrounding concussive signs and symptoms.
Additionally, over 40% of athletes were unaware of the management procedure and return to play guidelines post-concussion.
There is a need for educational concussion strategies to be implemented in university sport, to improve the health and safety of participants.
However, the effectiveness of such educational programmes requires further investigation prior to implementation.
AIM
This investigation sought to evaluate concussion knowledge among university level athletes and coaches.
METHODS
Participants
Following institutional approval, forty male rugby union (n = 20) and Gaelic football (n = 20) athletes and eight male coaches (n=8) from rugby union, Gaelic football, soccer, hockey, netball, and basketball completed two validated surveys (4) in a private room with only the researcher present.
REFERENCES
Signoretti, S Tavazzi, B Lazzarino, G Vagnozzi, R. (2014). The Relevance of Assessing Cerebral Metabolic Recovery for a Safe Return to Play following Concussion. Concussions in Athletics. 6 (1), P
McKeon, J.M.M., Livingston, S.C., Reed, A., Hosey, R.G., Black, W.S. and Bush, H.M., Trends in concussion return-to-play timelines among high school athletes from 2007 through 2009. Journal of athletic training, 48(6), P836.
Fraas, M. R., Coughlan, G. F., Hart, E. C., & McCarthy, C. (2014b). Concussion knowledge and management practices among coaches and medical staff in Irish professional rugby teams. Irish Journal of Medical Science, 184, 425–430.
Cusimano, D.M Chipman, L.M Volpe, R Donnely, P. (2009). Canadian Minor Hockey Participants’ Knowledge about Concussion. Canadian journal of neurological sciences. 36 (3), P
Ben Kirk
Figure 2: Percentage of correct responses to Part B
Table 1. Participant characteristics
Rugby
Union (n=20)
Gaelic Football (n=20)
Coaches
(n=8)
Age (yrs)
22 ± 2
21 ± 1
23 ± 2
Playing experience (yrs)
7.5 ± 1
5.0 ± 1
6.0 ± 3