West Central Alberta athletes of all ages ñ whether they are participating in hockey, soccer, baseball or some other sport ñ should certainly take new Canadian Medical Association (CMA) concussion warnings to heart, says longtime Sundre Minor Hockey Association president Connie Anderson.In its recently released Policy Statement on Head Injury and Sport, CMA said any athlete with a suspected concussion should stop playing immediately and should not return to play until he or she has been evaluated and cleared by a physician.With what is known today about head injuries, the old practice of ìplaying throughî concussions doesn't make any sense at all, said Anderson.ìI think it's a good idea to get checked out any time you get hurt, whether it's at work or at play,î said Anderson, who has more than 50 years experience as a hockey goalie and coach. ìWhether it's hockey or ball or soccer or tae kwon do or anything, concussions are not something to be taken lightly.ìIn the past lots of people played through concussions. They'd just sit back and clear the cobwebs and then go right back at it. I know that from personal experience. I've played through plenty over the years.îA form of traumatic brain injury, a concussion is a disturbance in the brain function caused by a direct or indirect force to the head, the CMA says.The injury can be caused by any blow to the head, face or jaw, whether during sports or other activities.Anderson cited the example of former NHL star player Eric Lindros ñ whose career was ended prematurely because of concussions ñ as an example of what can happen if such head injuries are not taken seriously.ìHe had quite a few of them (concussions) and he thought he was big and tough and could do whatever he wanted and it didn't matter. But he found out that wasn't right,î he said.The CMA's new concussion policy statement was developed, in part, as a response to recent high-profile sports-related concussion cases, including that of Sydney Crosby.ìWe hope this policy statement will be widely distributed and become an advocacy tool used in outreach to all levels of government," CMA president Jeff Turnbull said in a news release.Increasing public awareness of the dangers of concussions is an important step in ensuring the safety of all athletes involved in contact sports, he said.ìThe failure to recognize and report concussions could be the result of a lack of knowledge among athletes, coaches, trainers, and parents regarding the signs and symptoms of concussion,î he said.ìThere also appears to be some reluctance to report concussion because the athlete is either unaware of the seriousness of the injury or fears he or she may be removed from play.îAs part of its efforts to address sports-related concussions, the CMA is calling for facial protection and helmets to be mandatory at all levels of hockey, as well as protective headgear for cyclists, equestrians, downhill skiers and snowboarders.The new CMA recommendations on concussion include the following:ï Any athlete with a suspected concussion should stop playing immediately. The athlete should be evaluated by a physician to confirm the diagnosis, and appropriate assessment and followup care with a physician experienced in concussion management should be instituted.ï Coaches, trainers and sports therapists should receive nationally standardized and certified education about concussion-related signs and symptoms, as well as potential long-term consequences and appropriate steps to take in managing concussions.ï Parents who enrol their children in contact/collision sports should receive information on signs and symptoms of concussion.ï Physicians should discourage participation in sports in which intentional trauma is the objective.ï Return to play should only be considered when the patient is asymptomatic, cognitive function has returned to normal and medical clearance has been granted. There should also be a graduated-exertion protocol in place for formerly concussed athletes returning to play.Sundre's Connie Anderson explained that minor hockey associations across Alberta will be having talks about concussions during upcoming off-season meetings.ìWe are going to be discussing that at our next (Zone 6) meeting in July,î he said.
