Concussion Awareness Act
Becomes Law July 1, 2012
Concussion is one of the most common sports injuries among youths. Concussions may occur in any sport, not just football and others known for physical contact. Concussion is synonymous with brain injury and can range anywhere from mild to severe. Secondary impact syndrome, a second concussion occurring before symptoms of a prior concussion have resolved, can result in catastrophic brain damage or even death. Youths are especially vulnerable to concussion and secondary impact syndrome. Secondary impact syndrome is avoidable with the implementation of a no-tolerance policy for youth athletes playing with suspected concussion.
On July 1, 2012, the Concussion Awareness Act will become law. All public, private, and parochial schools as well as all organized youth sports sponsored by villages, cities, businesses or non-profit organizations for children ages 19 and under will be required to offer training regarding concussions to coaches.
Under the law, an athlete showing signs or symptoms of a concussion, thereby being “reasonably suspected” of having had a concussion, must be removed from participation and may not return until evaluated by a licensed health care professional.
The law passed by the Nebraska State Legislature has three requirements:
- Education: All coaches, youth athletes, and their parent or guardian must be provided with education about the risks and symptoms of concussion and how to seek proper medical attention.
- Removal from Play: Under any reasonable suspicion of concussion, coaches will remove youth athletes from play.
- Return to Play: Youth athletes will not be allowed to return to play including games, scrimmages, and practices of any kind, until written approval from an appropriate licensed healthcare professional AND the youth's parent or guardian is obtained. Licensed healthcare professional may be a physician, physician's assistant, nurse practitioner nurse, athletic trainer, neuropsychologist, or any licensed healthcare worker in Nebraska who is specifically trained in pediatric traumatic brain injury.
The Concussion Awareness Act requires schools to make concussion education available. Many websites are easily accessible for coaches and parents alike, and are listed at the end of this article. The law will also require schools to obtain written permission for any concussed athlete to return to play or practice following injury. Judgment calls are no longer in the hands of coaches, parents, or the athletes themselves.
Why is this bill necessary?
Young athletes’ recovery times for sports concussion are longer than college athletes’ recovery times. Young athletes’ who sustain a concussion are three times more likely to sustain a second concussion. Lack of proper diagnosis and management of a concussion may result in serious long-term consequences, or risk of coma or death.
“There is a strong need for more consistency in identifying and managing concussions in order to protect the health and safety of athletes. The research in this area has surged in the last 15 years and we now know that many youth take days to recover and some will take weeks, a few will take months. During this healing time, we now feel it is vital to do everything we can to prevent additional injury because recovery can be delayed and in some isolated cases, catastrophic injury or even death can occur. 90% of second concussions are believed to happen within 10 days of a prior concussion and this is likely due to subtle changes in balance, reaction time and visuomotor speed that affect their performance. By passing appropriate legislation, we emphasize the importance of this issue and move forward quickly the widespread implementation of procedures/precautions for helping to keep athletes safe. Without mandatory legislated education and removal from play, we may never see universally consistent application of these precautions because although we all want to keep our athletes safe, many individuals will not understand the serious risk posed by returning too soon.”
— Lori Terryberry-Spohr, Ph.D., ABPP, Diplomate in Clinical Neuropsychology, Brain Injury Program Manager, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital
For more information on the legislation click here for the FAQ on LB 260 (PDF)
The well-being of the athlete is of paramount concern during any athletic contest. Officials, coaches and sponsoring organizations are asked to make all efforts to ensure that concussed athletes do not continue to participate.
ANY sport can cause a concussion. Children and teenagers are more likely to get concussions and take longer to recover than adults.
Neither officials, nor coaches, are expected to “diagnos”e a concussion, but are being asked to use their best judgment in observing the signs, symptoms and behaviors. If you have any suspicion that your athlete has a concussion, you should keep him or her out of the game or practice.
