Concussions at Corona
Photo Credit: Patrick Buck
Preslie Hirsch, Editor-in-Chief
January 26, 2012
Filed under Sports, Top Stories
It’s a serious epidemic hitting the nation harder than ever before, literally.
Concussions are provoking headaches and dizziness and causing long-term health risks and in rare cases, death, for young athletes throughout the country. Students are starting young, competing at a high level and not taking nearly enough recovery time to properly heal from injuries. TIME Magazine reports that from 2005 to 2008, 41 percent of athletes who suffered concussions in 100 high schools across the country returned to play too soon, disregarding guidelines set out by the American Academy of Neurology.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention defines a concussion on it’s website as “type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works. Concussions can also occur from a fall or a blow to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth.”
At Corona, Certified Athletic Trainer Scott Mason, partnered with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, AXON sports and the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) to put programs and tests in place, creating an efficient system for athletes to perform at optimal level by taking proper recovery time and being aware of the risk and symptoms prior to a concussion on the field or court.
One of the first steps taken has been done so by the AIA. The educational course, entitled Brainbook, was developed in coordination with the B.R.A.I.N.S Clinic of the Barrow Neurological Institute and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. It is now mandated by the AIA Executive Board to educate student athletes about concussions, and students must present proof of completing the program and passing the test at the end before they are even allowed to try-out for a sport.
Javier Cardenas, a neurologist at St. Joseph’s Hospital and director of the B.R.A.I.N.S. program, explains why creating a program like this was so important and how it was developed.
“The education that’s available currently through the CDC for the coaches is great education. It’s also available for the parents. But there is nothing directed at the athletes. What the states require is you handing a piece of paper to your parent and saying ‘you acknowledge you know the danger of concussion’ and then you sign off and you’re done. As a student, that’s not education,” Cardenas said. “About a year and a half ago, the Arizona Interscholastic Association and the Arizona Cardinals came to my institution because I run a program called B.R.A.I.N.S. They said, ‘Will you go educate all the schools about concussions? We’ll buy you a van and you can go throughout the state.’ But that wasn’t very practical.”
Instead, Cardenas worked with Arizona State University to create the online class that has come to be known as Brainbook.
“It’s interactive, it has a Facebook-like interface, even though there is no social networking, it’s multi-media, we included professional physicians and role models from the Arizona Cardinals and from the (Phoenix) Mercury. And lastly, there are some athlete peers talking about concussions,” he said.
Since the start of the program in August, 80,000 tests have been completed. Cardenas is recognizing great success and receiving positive feed back, as middle schools are beginning to use the tool for health education. Cardenas also says that they are trying to take the program nationally, tailoring it for each area.
“We are seeing a shift, and the intent of Brainbook is to create a culture shift, so that people are not afraid to report, that they are looking out for themselves and their peers, and they take the correct measures to sit out so they don’t suffer the injury or a second injury,” Cardenas said. “I link it to dehydration. When I was a high school athlete, if you ran off the field to get water, you were a sissy. You didn’t need it. But you know, people died. But that culture has shifted in the sports world. So that’s what I hope will happen.”
After team players have completed the Brainbook program, they are recommended to take the baseline concussion test at school, administered by Mason. Having a certified athletic trainer on-site is crucial to assist injured athletes, though TIME reports that only 42 percent of high schools in America have certified athletic trainers, like Mason. The baseline test is not mandatory, but proves to be off to a successful start, with about 300-400 tests conducted thus far on campus. The test has been mostly given to contact sports although it is the ultimate goal for all athletes to be tested.
The test is simple, and can provide excellent information in the event of an injury.
“We are looking at the scores of this baseline data, when an injury does occur, and then we’re comparing both to see the significance of the injury, to see if they have returned to where they were before the concussion,” Mason said.
For junior varsity OL/DL Aaron Simons, the baseline test helped him get back on the field. Having taken it prior to his massive collision in practice, the test was available for him to retake making sure that his transition off the bench would be a safe one.
“I was told that I got absolutely mollywhopped by this kid Josh Riedel,” Simons said. “I got hit in the head and l don’t remember much of it until about halfway to the hospital when my mom was like ‘You all right bud?’ and I was like ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Then she told me I got a concussion.”
Although suffering from brutal dizziness and headaches, Simons pleaded to be allowed back on the field, and bitterly understood why he wasn’t allowed to suit up again until he was fully recovered.
“That was a big discussion my mom and the doctors had, that I want to get back on the field as fast as possible. The doctors wanted a whole week of symptoms being gone from my body. They were gone in about a week, so I sat out two weeks,” Simons said. “I love the sport, I like playing, and it was a big game, it was DV, so I wanted to play. It’s a violent sport, it’s going to happen where people get hit, but don’t hit with your head. That’s a rule.”
Corona insists a safe return to his or her respective sport is the school’s primary goal, so as not to add to the whopping 16 percent of athletes nationally who suffered concussions and returned to the field the same day, as reported by TIME.
Many have noticed the NFL changing up the technology of their helmets to better support the head and protect the brain. Turns out the pros aren’t the only one’s suiting up a little safer.
Every year, Corona’s football program adds about 20 to 30 Schutt DNA helmets, one of the most advanced helmets on the market right now within the school’s price range. Since obtaining new coach Tom Joseph, Corona has also invested in helmets that are custom fit to the player, doing away with the “one size fits all” type protection.
“Helmets are good for 10 years and we have them tested each year by Sunvalco to make sure there are no cracks or defects,” football coach Tim Kelly said.
Girls soccer is also taking steps to reduce risk in the high-speed contact sport.
Head girls soccer coach Matt Smith said, “My wife has suffered over 25 concussions so its kind of a personal vendetta for me,” explaining why taking these precautions mean a lot to him, while protecting the long-term health of this players.
“We have purchased FULL90 headgear for each of our girls and require them to wear them for all training and games, both on the varsity and JV levels,” Smith said. “There are lots of people who argue about the effectiveness of the headgear, but we have seen less than two concussions per season over the last two years in the program, which is about 40 athletes each year.”
The steps Corona is taking to reduce concussion and brain injury risk is proving its effectiveness on campus with every practice and game, as athletes are performing at a safer level than ever before.
“It’s better to miss one game than the whole season,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states on their website.
Simons concludes with the idea the athletes need to be patient in a difficult, sometimes long-term process of recovery.
“I was angry (I couldn’t play), but I understood why,” Simons said. “You don’t mess around when stuff comes to your brain.”
