Concussion Controversy: Return To Play May Be Just The Beginning

ATLANTA — Starting January 1, 2014 student athletes will be better protected in gyms and on playing fields across Georgia. At least, that is the goal behind the Return to Play Act.

The new state law requires schools give student athletes and their parents information about concussions. It also mandates that coaches pull a child from activity if he or she shows concussion symptoms.

“We’ve already been doing that, which I think most schools probably have,” said Jeff Hopp, a certified athletic trainer, or ATC, at Marietta High School. “So, for most schools and certainly for us here at Marietta, it won’t change anything in our day to day operations. Literally the only thing that changes is that each coach, when they get their team, they’ll have to get the concussion form signed off on by the parents.”

That concussion awareness form, drafted by the Georgia High School Association, outlines the dangers and symptoms of concussions.

“Concussions at all levels of sports have received a great deal of attention and a state law has been passed to address this issue,” the form reads. “Continued participation in any sport following a concussion can lead to worsening concussion symptoms, as well as increased risk for further injury to the brain, and even death.”

To help avoid worsening the injury, the law specifies that medical professionals including licensed doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and ATCs are the only ones who can decide when a child is ready to return to sports.

Hopp said most health professionals make that determination based on physical exams and symptoms reported by the athletes themselves. But for the last four years Marietta High has also been using a program called ImPACT to determine whether a student’s brain is back to normal.

“It gives us data to look at that we can—hard, concrete numbers,” explained Hopp. “You’ll get some kids that truly have no symptoms and are feeling absolutely fine, but their brain isn’t functioning normally and we can pick that up with the neurocognitive testing.”

via Concussion Controversy: Return To Play May Be Just The Beginning.