Are you interested in learning about concussion in sport?
Are you interested in learning about concussion in sport? Access doctorportal’s free learning module to gain CPD points. The AIS and AMA put out a joint statement on concussion this year, and the two bodies have set up a website with information for parents and teachers as well as coaches and medical practitioners.
Dr David Hughes, Chief Medical Officer at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and co-author of a new CPD learning module on concussion in sport says there’s been an enormous cultural shift in how sport-related concussion is approached over the past few years.
“There was a time, particularly in contact and collision sports, when getting up and playing on after a concussion or even after being completely knocked out was seen as being tough or a sign of your commitment to the game. That has shifted, and a lot of the heavy lifting has been done by the sports codes themselves.”
Nowadays, he says, you’ll rarely see a professional player returning to the field until six days or so after concussion, let alone in the same game. And for many top athletes who are concussed, it may be weeks before they’re competing again.
“There is far more focus on the welfare of the athlete. We understand that there’s no such thing as a good concussion.”
Dr Hughes says the new awareness around the issue of consciousness is happening at the grassroots as well, and not just at the professional level.
“There’s parental concern, and there’s an understanding that concussion is not just about professional contact and collision sports, but it’s actually a public health matter. In the professional sports, you’ve got access to medical professionals and video, which makes identifying and dealing with concussion that much easier, but at the school or amateur level it’s a lot more difficult.”
Access the CPD learning module on concussion in sport
