Medical

Concussion Facts

Concussion is a brain injury
All concussions are serious
Concussion can often occur without loss of consciousness
Players with any signs or symptoms of concussion must be immediately removed from playing
or training
Players must not return to play on the same day of any suspected concussion
It is recommended that all players with concussion should be referred to a medical practitioner
It is recommended that all players undertake a Graduated to Play programme
It is recommended that players should not return to full contact sport until cleared by a medical practitioner
Most concussions will recover with physical and mental rest
Children and adolescents may take longer to recover following concussion
Concussion can occur without an obvious blow to the head
Recognise and Remove players with suspected concussion to prevent further injury or in rare cases, even fatality

Concussion can happen at any age and to anyone. However, child and adolescent players:

Are more susceptible to concussion
Take longer to recover
Have more significant memory and mental processing issues
Are more susceptible to rare and dangerous complications including brain swelling (known as second impact syndrome), these complications can sometimes be fatal

* Child and adolescent players are defined as under the age of 19 years old as of the 1st of September.