Central Regional Sports Seminar Focuses on Dangers of Concussions

“When in doubt take them out.”

That was Dr. Gerald Ferencz' message to sports coaches at a recent seminar held at Central Regional High School on the danger of concussions in youth sports.

The event was sponsored by Community Medical Center and the school and also included speakers Dr. John Sarris and Dr. George Peters.

“Our goal is for Community Medical Center to reach out and support the community in providing education to coaches and trainers in all sports for early identification of concussions,” said Teri Kubiel, administrative director of Community Medical Center and seminar organizer.

Recent legislation requires all school systems to develop a concussion management policy, Peters said before the lectures began.

“This is part of an effort to educate school personnel and school districts on what their policy should be,” said Peters.

Peters said there is a concern that concussions go undetected, with some estimates stating that 10 to 15 percent of athletes get concussed in sports.

“It's is important to train staff and coaches so they understand what the signs are on and off the field when they see them and what happens in recovery,” said Peters, whose lecture focused on problems with treating concussions.

“We need to have coaches understand it is a slow process and to have athletes come back in a gradual way both in classroom and in school,” said Peters.

“If there are any symptoms at all, do not clear them to play," he said. "If an athlete returns to a contact sport and receives another concussion before the original concussion has healed, it can be deadly.”

Ferencz said there are between 2 million to 4 million sports concussions each year. Statistics show that New Jersey has 12,000 – 15,000 head injuries per year, of which 10 percent are athletic.

He described a concussion as a “mild traumatic brain injury” caused by a direct blow to the head, face or neck that usually has a rapid onset of symptoms and usually resolves in a short period of time.

One problem in treating concussions injuries is that they are not visible in conventional medical scans, Ferencz said.

Coaches should look for the following symptoms: loss of consciousness, amnesia, slurred speech, personality change, loss of balance, delayed verbal or motor response such as a vacant stare, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound or seeing lights, and “not feeling right”—a broad category that could include drowsiness, difficulty remembering tasks and headaches, he said.

He stressed that if there is any doubt as to whether an athlete has a concussion, than the coach should err on the side of caution and bench them.

Ferencz also said if the sports staff is sure an injury has occurred on the field,  then they should take down details such as when and how it occurred to give to medical staff when the patient is treated.

He also said not to leave an athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion alone for the first four hours after the injury, in case of delayed brain bleeding, which can sometimes occur with a head injury.

Concussions are the most common type of brain injury. But long-term cases may include worsening headaches, persistent nausea and increased confusion, Sarris said.

“They are usually short-lived but in the worst cases can last months or even years,” he said.

Sarris also spoke about the problems with cumulative effects from concussions and pointed to recent studies on NFL and NHL players who suffered multiple concussions.

Ryne Dougherty was a 16-year-old Montclair High School football player who died in 2008 due to a suffering a second concussion before the earlier concussion had completely healed, a problem known as second impact syndrome, Sarris said.

The Dougherty incident is a major reason behind the state's push for more concussion awareness among school coaches, he said.