Concussion awareness campaign to focus on educating players

IT MIGHT not have some of the big hits and crashing knocks of some of its rival games – at least not yet anyway – but the GAA has launched its first concussion awareness campaign in an effort to reduce any long-term consequences of head injuries.

The campaign will focus on educating players about the signs and symptoms of concussion, rather than introduce any direct measures to either address or prevent the actual occurrence of it, although the GAA will continue to monitor the issue through its Scientific and Medical Welfare Committee.

Last June, the International Rugby Board (IRB) agreed more detailed guidelines on the treatment of concussion – namely in diagnosis, management and return-to-play guidelines. However, the IRB stopped short of introducing any protective headgear, other than the approved scrum cap, and it seems the GAA is also still some way off any such measure.

The campaign – entitled “Mind Your Head”, run in association with Acquired Brain Injury Ireland – will see posters and education material delivered to over 2,000 GAA clubs throughout the country, thus reaching out to all players of every age and level.

Based on a study over the 2008-2009 seasons, it emerged that footballers are three times more likely to be concussed during a game than hurlers: Barbara O’Connell, Chief Executive of Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, outlined some of the dangers this might present.

“Concussion is not a life-threatening injury,” she said, “but it can cause both short-term and long-term problems when not managed effectively. If players return to the field with a concussion there is a risk of second impact syndrome, during which the brain swells rapidly, resulting in serious brain injury. Players, coaches, medical staff and even parents, at every level of sport should be aware of the signs and symptoms of concussion, and know exactly what to look out for in the hours of recovery after a hit.

“For example, our players should be able to make the connection of feeling nauseous, a few hours after taking a hit to the head, to being concussed. In doing so the player will know they have had an injury that needs to be seen to, and so be protected from any long-term damage, recovering to full fitness effectively.”

GAA Director General Páraic Duffy said that while “our games by their nature are physical games” he added “there is also an onus on us to do everything we can to inform our players at all levels of the dangers of injuries such as concussion”.

Former Dublin captain Paul Griffin, an Acquired Brain Injury Ireland ambassador and also a qualified physiotherapist, spoke of the need to seek proper treatment for any such head injury. “In all contact sports like GAA people need to recognise the injury and treat it effectively just like they would any other, such as a knee or ligament injury. Following best practice guidelines will reduce the risk of longer periods away from the game and also the risk of sustaining longer lasting affects from concussion,” he said. “Unfortunately as players we are our own worst enemies and often don’t take this into consideration.

“Players will have to be protected from themselves, so it becomes the responsibility of managers, coaches, selectors and even parents or partners, to ensure the proper medical attention is given to any player they suspect may have been concussed.”

Current Dublin All-Ireland winners Michael Dara Macauley and Rory O’Carroll are also supporting the campaign. “No player will volunteer to sit out of any game if they can avoid it I think when it comes to concussion we think we can avoid being honest about it because it’s not visual,” said Macauley. “We need to start thinking about concussion in the same way as any other injury.”

For more details, including a return-to-play action plan, see www.gaa.ie or www.abiireland.ie