Announcements and Important Events
Newly Formed Concussion Management Task Force Team - serving the Tam High Community – wants you to know (read more)Date Posted: Monday Apr 06, 2009
Newly Formed Concussion Management Task Force Team - serving the Tam High Community
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The 2009 Spring Sports Sessions are well underway at Tam High School. Since you have already given your children "the talk" about Sex and Drugs, The Concussion Management Task Force Team at Tam High School wanted to remind all of you to also tell them about the DANGERS OF CONCUSSIONS. CONCUSSION: CAUSED BY A BLOW TO THE HEAD THAT CAUSES THE BRAIN TO BE ROCKED BACK AND FORTH INSIDE THE SKULL In light of the tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson, the subject of brain injuries has quickly become front page news. This is probably the first time that many of you have actually taken the time to think about this subject.
Unfortunately several parents with children participating in sports at Tam High School have recently come to understand the complexities of concussions suffered by their sons or daughters during a game this past year. One of these students suffered their hit in early October 2008, yet the injury to the brain was so severe that he was not able to return to school until January 2009.
This note is being sent to you in hopes that you and your child will come to understand the symptoms of a concussion should something ever happen while they are playing. Silence can be deadly in a concussion and that is why it is so important that all players inform their coaches and Parents /Guardians should they feel something may have happened to them while they are practicing or competing.
Education and self monitoring are very important in Concussion Management. No one but the athlete can tell you how they feel.
IMPORTANT: Medical Research has shown that the brain of those 18 and under does not heal as fast as that of an adult. As a matter of fact it takes much longer than originally thought before any child should actually be allowed back in to play their sport after suffering a concussion.
Do you even know how to recognize a concussion? The symptoms aren't always apparent during a game as many times the symptoms are gradual and can worsen over time. A concussion will cause an altered state of consciousness but not necessarily a loss of consciousness. This is why so many people do not realize that they have even suffered one. Many kids don't want to admit to their coaches or parents that something "strange" happened to them on the field because they do not understand the terrible consequences possibly that may befell them later on and they don't want to lose their chance of playing time. Should a child suffer a concussion in a game and continue to play, they are more susceptible to a second concussion and this can have deadly consequences. What Are the Signs and Symptoms? The signs of concussion are not always well recognized. Many kids, and adults too, think a concussion is a right of passage and they don't pay attention to its symptoms either. And because of that, teens may put themselves at risk for another injury. For example, players may return to a game before they should, or a skateboarder may get back on the board and continue skating, thinking nothing's wrong. That's a problem, because if the brain hasn't healed properly from a concussion and someone gets another brain injury (even if it's with less force), it can be serious. Repeated injury to the brain can lead to swelling, and sometimes people develop long-term disabilities, or even die, as a result of serious head injuries. So it's really important to recognize and understand the signals of a concussion. Although we may think of a concussion as someone losing consciousness (passing out), a person can have a concussion and never lose consciousness. Symptoms of a concussion may include: "seeing stars" and feeling dazed, dizzy, or lightheaded memory loss, such as trouble remembering things that happened right before and after the injury nausea or vomiting headaches blurred vision and sensitivity to light slurred speech or saying things that don't make sense difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making decisions difficulty with coordination or balance (such as being unable to catch a ball or other easy tasks) feeling anxious or irritable for no apparent reason feeling overly tired What should you do if you have any of these symptoms: Tell the Coach and/or your parents. See a Dr. ASAP and have the player checked out. The Dr will let you know what you should and should not do. After a Concussion After a concussion, the brain needs time to heal. It's really important to wait until all symptoms of a concussion have cleared up before returning to normal activities. The amount of time someone needs to recover depends on how long the symptoms last. Healthy teens can usually resume their normal activities within a few weeks, but each situation is different. A doctor will monitor the person closely to make sure everything's OK. Someone who has had a concussion and has not recovered within a few months is said to have post concussion syndrome. The person may have the same problems described earlier — such as poor memory, headaches, dizziness, and irritability — but these will last for longer periods of time and may even be permanent. Please share the above information with your son or daughter. It could save their life. GO TAM!! GO HAWKS!! Cheers, The Concussion Management Task Force Team at Tam High School -- serving the Tam High Community P.S. Please stay tuned for future communications from the The Concussion Management Task Force Team at Tam High School regarding the progress of this newly founded grassroots group of concerned parents. We are hoping to offer Guest Speakers, Educational Literature, and more. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CONCUSSIONS 1. You might also be interested in watching this short but very informative segment taken from PBS' "The News Hour With Jim Lehrer" that aired in November 2007. It does an excellent job at describing the whys, hows, whose, and whats of concussion management in High School athletes. It also explains why it is much more complicated than we ever knew in the teenage years.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec07/concussions_11-26.html click on Streaming Video 2. TIME Magazine article from Feb 2009 on how high school kids are competing too soon after concussions, i.e. they risk permanent brain damage or death: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1873131,00.html 3. SPORT'S ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE - October 27, 2008 Football's Big Headache 4. SPORTS LEGACY INSTITUTE IN MASSACHUSETTS: They are really doing a great job of educating about concussions. And the State of New Hampshire has made it mandatory for all Pop Warner coaches to take their coach's clinic on concussions. They are the first in the nation. We are hoping to have SLI come to Tam to do some training for our coaches: See these links:
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