Most of us know what concussion is or at least some of the symptoms we may expect to see with it;

• Headache or a feeling of pressure in the head.
• Temporary loss of consciousness.
• Confusion or feeling as if in a fog.
• Amnesia surrounding the trauma
• Dizziness or 'seeing stars'
• Ringing in the ears.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.

But there is something associated with concussion that is potentially much more traumatic and much less understood.

Secondary Impact Syndrome (SIS) is where a second head trauma occurs to a person who has still not recovered from their first impact. The damage here to an already swollen brain can be fatal. In both Canada and the USA laws are in place to prevent this but are still not well practiced. The rest of the world is even further behind. These laws have been around since as long ago as 2009 following juvenile fatalities.

In the US alone, 50 deaths per year are attributed to SIS. We need to be aware of the implications in order to best protect our children. This is where sport comes into this discussion, as sport is one of the major causes of head injuries from activities such as AFL, rugby and cricket.

We can minimise the risk of the initial concussion by wearing the appropriate protective equipment and playing in controlled environments.  We will never eliminate concussion, but SIS can be greatly reduced by following some simple rules.

If you or your child receives a concussion or a suspected concussion you should do the following;

-Immediately stop the activity you are doing

-Seek medical advice on the injury

-Not return to activity for 14 days post impact or until you have medical approval

From a schools perspective please notify the school, especially your sports teacher, of the initial injury, especially if it happened outside of school time. If staff are aware, they can help keep them safe. The initial injury doesn’t have to have occurred whilst playing sport, it could be from any head trauma but you should notify us and any club or place where they may be doing physical activity. They need to be kept away from activity for 14 days or until they have been medically cleared to return. Even other gentler forms of exercise could trigger further damage within this window.

Please don’t make this a reason to stop you or your children being active, but please take on board the message and pass it on to anyone in your local sports club or area as it is just not well understood. Together through knowledge, these unnecessary fatalities can be reduced.

Ben Allsop

Head of Health & Physical Education