Top sports doctor’s concussion warning no parent can ignore
A LEADING northern beaches sports physician has delivered a sobering warning about concussions suffered by children.
Manly
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A LEADING northern beaches sports physician has delivered a sobering message about the risks of head knocks for children playing sport that no parent or official could afford to ignore.
Dr Luke Inman has seen multiple admissions of children with complex concussions at his Dee Why practice over the past eight years, that have included a 14-year-old boy who suffered seven concussions over the space of 13 months and a 15-year-old who had five over a year and a half.
And he is worried that parents, coaches and trainers don’t fully understand the correct concussion protocols for sporting youngsters – nor the associated dangers.
“It is a whole different ball game to what we are used to at the top level of sport,” Dr Inman said.
“I am concerned that in some cases kids are returning to the field of play too early, without having been cleared to safely return to play by a doctor with expertise in concussion.
“As a direct result, some children have suffered with multiple successive concussions and risk long-term consequences.”
Dr Inman is a former doctor at the Manly Sea Eagles, Sydney Swans, the Australian rugby union Sevens and Waratahs teams.
Dr Inman has also seen it from the other side of the fence, being professional rugby player himself with the NSW Waratahs and captain of the Australian Sevens team.
GREATER RISKS
He said youngsters are most vulnerable after sustaining concussion given their developing brains.
“They require a longer period of time to recover from concussion when compared to adults,” he said.
“They are also at risk of a rare but severe injury termed diffuse cerebral oedema, a catastrophic brain swelling found to occur in children and adolescents groups.
“Early return to play sport can also lead to prolonged post-concussion symptoms, worsening mood changes, and mild cognitive impairment in some individuals.
“We are uncertain as to the long-term consequences because it takes time to investigate these factors and their effect potentially 50 years down the track,” he said. “We have to wait for that evidence to come to light.”
CLEAR GUIDELINES
Dr Inman said the management of concussion for children in all contact sports was clear.
All sports require that a doctor, with expertise in concussion, review the concussed child as soon as possible post injury,” he said. “This is to ensure that there are no evolving or worsening signs to indicate an underlying brain injury or brain bleed.”
He said a formal diagnosis and a Standardised Concussion Assessment Test (SCAT) should be performed at the time of the head injury.
“After a weekend concussion the child should then follow up with their doctor on the Monday to determine whether further rest is required, or whether they can begin a graduated return to activity and schooling,” he said.
“The period of rest from playing slightly differs between the different sports.
“There is a minimum 19-day period required before children and adolescents can return to play rugby union.
“All concussed children need to return to their doctor at the final stage of the graded return to be safely cleared to return to play.
“By sticking to the guidelines we can ensure that we minimise long-term consequences of repetitive head trauma and concussion in children.”