On November 30, 2022, family medicine physician as well as sports medicine specialist, Dr. Peter Rippey came and spoke to our class about Sport Related Concussions (SRC)
Concussions are sometimes more subtle when other things are more extreme such as Connor's case of an open tib/fib fracture who suddenly felt symptoms of a concussion the next day after his injury such as fogginess and sensitivity to light. A sport related concussion is a traumatically induced transient disturbance of brain function, and are usually mild and not physically seen. These concussions are common and carry an average of 2-15% of probability of an athlete suffering during their season, and roughly 1.6-3.2 annually.
When this type of injury occurs, neutrons in the brain stretch and leak which disrupts the neurons and push them to restore balance which takes energy. When the blood flow to the brain decreases like it does when these types of injuries occur, it causes the symptoms which are apparent in concussion patients. These symptoms include slowed reaction, headache, and sensitivity to light.
The diagnosis for this type of injury is clinical and requires many types of testing which are recorded on what is known as a SCAT5, a sport concussion assessment tool, which can be perform both on and off the field. This assessment covers anything that one with a concussion suffers like symptoms to memory tests to balance examinations.
The treatment that follows a concussion is initial rest for the first 24 to 48 hours after the injury occurs, possibly physical therapy such as balance rehabilitation or counselors for anxiety or depression caused by the concussion, tylenol or other NSAIDS, or time off of work or school. There are no firm guidelines to return to learn but rather it is individual to the athlete, but the most common is no computers or test until the concussion has subsided. Return to play used to consist of waiting until all symptoms were gone, it was proved more helpful to go back to activity quicker. Usually 1-2 days after injury the athlete can return to light activity.
Many people wonder what the big deal surrounding concussions is, but it is important to understand that concussions have long term effects and should be taken seriously and reported. They can make athletes lose much time from activity, develop diseases and disorders down the road long after the initial injury, a lower GPA, and the most sever Double Impact Syndrome, which can happen when a head injury isn't discovered or reported and another one occurs, and can result in sudden death.
Dr. Rippey gave a clear and thorough lecture on these sport related concussions and how much of an impact they truly leave on patients with or with treatment!
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