CLEAR LAKE, IA--
“I was kind of running and I got a knee to the side of the head, I don't know, kind of blacked out for a couple of seconds,” said Brent Tarr, a football player for Clear Lake High School. “It's definitely a scary situation when it happens,” said his coach, Fred Wieck. “I went over to the sidelines and she said my pupils were dilated so I couldn't go back in,” said Tarr, who had a concussion.“It can be an object hitting the head or it can be the head hitting a still object,” said Michelle Bamrick, a Certified Athletic Trainer, explaining the injury.
It's something millions in the United States suffer each year. But research is suggesting those hits can haunt athletes long after they hang up their cleats for the final time. Bamrick said even small head injuries can add up. “They were seeing it a lot in linemen and linebackers in football because it's a lot of little hits and over the time they're actually doing CT scans and seeing tissue damage,” she said.
Bamrick said returning to play too soon after a concussion, or suffering multiple over the course of a career, can lead to long term effects like headaches, irritableness, memory loss and others. That's why she says it's important for players, coaches and parents to be informed. “We need to educate what the symptoms are and how important those symptoms are because even if they're slight they can be significant,” she said.
She said the Athletic Trainers Association is trying to put some guidelines together to make sure players aren't returning too soon. And now members of Congress are looking into the issue too. Coach Wieck said guidelines could be helpful. “I think anything that guidelines… that'll help protect the kids and make it easier for the coaches and team doctors and so forth is good,” said Wieck.
Clear Lake keeps a doctor on the sidelines at games. But both Coach Wieck and Bamrick said some athletes may try to get back into games after a head injury. They say it's important to keep an eye on them. That's something Tarr can attest to firsthand. “As a player you probably, your killer instinct is to get back in and be in there but for the long run it's probably smart to sit out,” he said.
Bamrick said for the most part you can instantly see the signs and symptoms of a concussion. Those include headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, disorientation and sometimes nausea.
She told us it's important to consult a physician before returning to play if you've suffered a concussion. She said even if the signs and symptoms have subsided, it's important to do some neurological testing to determine if you're ready to suit up again.
