USA Field Hockey encourages all coaches, umpires, players, and parents to familiarize themselves with the symptoms and treatment of concussions. Concussions, as with other sport injuries, are a serious medical condition and should be treated properly.
Defined & Symptoms
Read More, opens in a new tabA concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that affects brain function. Effects are often short term and can include headaches and trouble with concentration, memory, balance, mood and sleep.
Physical symptoms of a concussion may include:
- Headache
- Ringing in the ears
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fatigue or drowsiness
- Blurry vision
Other symptoms may include: confusion or feeling foggy, amnesia, dizziness or "seeing stars".
State Laws in Youth Sports
Read More, opens in a new tabAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 248,418 children aged 19 or younger were treated in United States emergency departments for sports and recreation related injuries that included a diagnosis of concussion or traumatic brain injury. Science is increasingly beginning to realize the severe impacts of brain injuries especially to children and teenagers even if they are not immediately felt or noticed. Public health law is working to reduce the risks of head injuries to young and professional athletes through federal, local and state laws.
This resource contains information on state concussion laws, including which states require return-to-play protocols for student athletes, which type of provider can issue a return-to-play clearance, and whether or not the law applies to recreational sports.
Resources
USA Field Hockey is proud to team up with TeachAids, a nonprofit leader in global education innovation, to distribute free state-of-the-art concussion education and offer a certificate of completion for all athletes within our community.
After hundreds of hours of research, six months of production and thousands of hours of testing TeachAids created CrashCourse. This concussion education platform provides students, parents and coaches with the latest medical knowledge on prevention and treatment for brain injuries. The platform was developed with input from top world-class medical and education researchers with the mission of shifting the concussion conversation away from fear and silence and towards understanding and empowerment.
Concussion Education
Check out this 12-minute video which provides the latest concussion education. The CrashCourse curriculum helps correct common myths and misconceptions and enables young people, coaches and parents to better recognize and address symptoms of a concussion. Afterwards, watching the video earn a Certificate of Completion from USA Field Hockey by taking a short quiz.
Did you know that every year, more than 2.5 million young people suffer a concussion in the United States? With proper care, most concussions can heal within 10 days, but the overwhelming majority of students, parents and coaches are unaware of the latest science about prevention and treatment of concussions. If not treated properly, a concussion may have lasting physical, emotional, and cognitive effects.
Brain Fly-Through
The CrashCourse Brain Fly-Through conceptualizes an otherwise “invisible injury”. It uses state-of-the art technology from Stanford University’s Neurosurgical Simulation and Virtual Reality Center. With dramatic race footage coupled with her own personal concussion experience, world mountain biking champion, Kate Courtney, takes the viewer on a journey through the human brain. This fly-through showcases the brain’s blood vessels, nervous system, and cerebrospinal fluid cavities while emphasizing the complexity and fragility of the brain, as well as the importance of caring for it.
This 8-minute Multi-Sport production was developed by award-winning nonprofit TeachAids in collaboration with USA Archery, USA Artistic Swimming, USA Baseball, USA Bobsled & Skeleton, USA Cycling, USA Diving, USA Fencing, USA Football, USA Gymnastics, USA Hockey, US Lacrosse, US Ski & Snowboard, US Speedskating, USA Taekwondo, USA Triathlon and USA Wrestling.
The Brain Fly-Through can be accessed through the video above, or on YouTube as a standard video and in virtual reality.
