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Concussions
Concussion Awareness and Education
Concussions have become a hot-button issue not only in the hockey world, but also in the sports community as a whole. Concussions to Sidney Crosby, Justin Morneau, Denard Span and others have dominated the sports pages here and across North America. New studies and research are advancing knowledge of head injuries and, as a result, treatments are being updated with each new piece of information. But, they are still often mistunderstood.
It is important to understand, especially for parents of children just getting started playing youth hockey, that there is NO concussion epidemic in Andover Youth Hockey. In fact, hockey has never been safer than it is right now. But, in the event that a child sustains a head injury or is behaving out of character, we want families to have as much information at their disposal as possible.
Everyone is doing their part in ensuring parents, coaches, and athletic associations are educated on concussion-related symptoms and the treatment required. The state of Minnesota enacted a new law that changes the way coaches and administrators deal with a player suspected of suffering a concussion. All coaches are required to get formal training to aid them in concussion symptom recognition. They may no longer allow a player to return to a game or practice who is suspected of receiving a concussion. Only a qualified medical professional may clear a player to return to action. USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey are updating procedures and changing the rules of play to curb head injuries.
This page will serve as a "document dump" where as much information as possible will be assembled on concussion recognition, treatment, and prevention. Some of the documents are designed for coaches, some for managers, some for parents, and others are general information and may not mention hockey at all. If a comprehensive document comes out that deals with all the information, the page may take on a new look. Until then ...
CDC Concussion in Youth Sports Home Page
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a page dedicated to providing information on concussions in youth sports. Click here to go the website and review the information.
www.cdc.gov/concussion/HeadsUp/youth.html
Also, here is another great website that does a tremendous job educating parents and coaches on concussion symptoms, the dangers of a second blow in a short period of time, and recovery procedures -- plus a whole lot more.
