The Athletes' Guide to a Concussion: Part 2

Welcome back to our Concussion Guide series! In this next section, we’re focusing on concussion prevention -- not only how to reduce the chances of a concussion occurring in the first place, but also how to prevent symptoms from getting worse and what factors can influence your recovery timeline.

See the video below to learn about concussion prevention and make sure you're taking the right steps to protect your health and sport performance!

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Primary Prevention: Prevent it from happening in the first place

• Player skill, game awareness

  • In hockey, practice puck control with heads up

  • Player positioning to avoid high-risk plays/passes

  • Practice reaction time

• Fatigue, fitness level

  • Concussions are more likely to occur when players are fatigued

  • Less reactive and lazier playing style increases risk

  • Solution: Fitness and endurance training

• Proper equipment

• Rules/environment

  • A players body size doesn't reduce their risk of concussion, so practice responsible body contact

    
    

Secondary Prevention: Prevent worsening of injury

• Educate players, coaches, sideline personnel

  • Hockey culture and "tough guy/girl" mentality make it less likely for players to report their concussion

  • The best people to detect someone's concussion and change in behavior are often their teammates!

  • Foster a supportive culture

• Baseline testing

• Detection tools

• Clinical management (physiotherapy!)

  • Decreased repeat injury risk with increased time taken to return to play

    
    

Tertiary Prevention: Reduce symptoms and improve outcomes

• Clinical management (physiotherapy!)

  • Most important factor for recovery for concussion is how quickly they are assessed by a trained healthcare professional

  • Number of days between concussion and evaluation correlates with recovery times: Athletes seen in 1 week = recovery 20 days sooner than athletes seen 2-3 weeks post-injury

Factors Impacting Recovery

• Current research states recovery is longer with:

  • Repeat concussions, especially when closer together

  • Children and adolescents

  • Females

  • Pre-existing depression and anxiety

  • Lack of education following injury

  • Higher initial symptom score

  • Poor coping strategies

Debunking Myths About Factors Impacting Recovery

• Things that do NOT influence recovery time:

  • Vomiting at time of injury

  • Loss of consciousness at time of injury

  • Amnesia (forgetting events before or after) at time of injury

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Concussions are complex injuries, but with the right awareness and timely care, athletes can significantly reduce their risk and improve their recovery. Prevention starts with smart play and responsible culture, but it doesn’t end there. Early assessment and management by a physiotherapist can make the difference between a short recovery and long-lasting symptoms.

If you believe you may have suffered a concussion, don’t wait—book an appointment today!

Click to Book Now!

Stay tuned for the final part of our Concussion Guide next week!