CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – “If you see something, say something” is a piece of advice offered about a number of scenarios, and doctors are said the same thing at the UVA Health Concussion Clinic to athletes who may be injured.
“Whether you’re watching a game and an athlete falls, hits their head, gets up, looks a little woozy, but says they can keep playing, that’s a time to pull out, just to check,” said Dr. Rachel Smetana, PsyD, ABPP-CN,assistant professor and clinical neuropsychologist in the neuropsychology assessment clinic in a reporters’ conference call. “If your child comes home from a practice and seems a little off, maybe doesn’t remember explicitly hitting their head, but something seems weird, that’s a time to just tell someone to get it checked out, whether that be telling the athletic trainer at the school or the coach, calling a pediatrician or primary care provider.”
Smetana noted this time of year, we often think of football-related injuries, but many other sports carry concussion risk, including ice hockey, wrestling, lacrosse, soccer, cheerleading, and equestrian activities.
Symptoms of a concussion, according to UVA Assistant Athletic Trainer Keith Thomson, include headache, dizziness, and nausea.
“Red flag symptoms are loss of consciousness, that’s one of the big ones, the easiest one to see,” said Dr. Jose Posas, MD, FAAN Jose Posas, MD, FAAN Associate Professor of Neurology General Neurology/Sports Medicine. “Some of the harder ones to see can be posturing. What do I mean by posturing? Sometimes one of the arms will get stiff, or both of the arms will get stiff, and they’ll look like they get hit, and then they pop their arms into a strange, stiff posture.
“Sometimes slurred speech, facial droop, limb weakness, if they get up and walk and they look like they’re bobbing and weaving back to the bench or the sideline, that… those are red flags,” said Posas. “Those are things that need to be checked out fairly quickly, for things that may be more dangerous than concussion.”
Posas said the red flags are also important because there are legal obligations.
“All 50 states now have laws on the books at the state level, some variation of the Listed law that says that if someone is suspected of having a concussion, they should not return to play in the same game, at least at the high school level,” he said.
Thomson emphasized wearing appropriate gear that is fitted correctly, particularly helmets.
Posas also encouraged teams to limit contact drills.
He said a lot of those drills, like Oklahoma drills, are being eliminated or reduced at the collegiate level, and it’s a good idea to think about the same thing at the high school level.
He urges central Virginia residents to not hesitate to come see them at UVA Health if they experience issues.
“We see students from the university, we see students from the local high schools, we’re building capacity to see students from the local middle and elementary schools if they need help, so that is something that is available currently and growing into the future.” Dr. Posas said. “And we’re hoping to partner into the greater, sort of central Virginia area, looking into the other counties that surround us, and making sure that they know that if they have, students who are struggling with concussion or adults who are struggling with sports-related concussion.”
