Concussion: Key Prevention Strategies

Concussions – minor brain injuries caused by a blow to the head – are a growing public health problem, particularly in sport. Preventing concussions is crucial to protecting the health and well-being of athletes. Fortunately, several effective strategies can be implemented to reduce the risk of these injuries [1].

Educate athletes:

• Provide clear, accessible information about concussions, including causes, symptoms, short- and long-term consequences and return-to-play protocols.
• Use a variety of teaching aids such as brochures, videos, presentations and interactive workshops to facilitate understanding.
• Encourage athletes to ask questions and express concerns about concussions.

Sensibiliser les entraîneurs:

• Train coaches to recognize the signs and symptoms of concussions, including behavioral changes, balance problems, headaches and confusion.
• Educate coaches on concussion management protocols, such as immediate withdrawal from play, medical evaluation and appropriate follow-up.
• Emphasize the importance of creating a safe training environment and promoting a sports culture that puts athlete health ahead of performance.

Raise parents’ awareness:

• Educate parents about concussions and the risks faced by their child athletes.
• Provide parents with tips on how to monitor their children for signs and symptoms of concussion.
• Encourage parents to contact coaches and medical staff if concussion is suspected.

Raise awareness among medical staff:

• Train doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to properly assess and diagnose concussions.
• Regularly update medical staff on the latest knowledge and recommendations for concussion management.
• Promote collaboration between medical staff and other players involved in sport to ensure optimal care for injured athletes.

• Apply and enforce rules and regulations to reduce head contact and dangerous hits.
  • Adapt rules according to age, level of competition and type of sport.
  • Prohibit dangerous practices such as intentional blows to the head, illegal charges and dangerous tackles.
• Severely penalize rules violations that increase the risk of concussion.
• Encourage a safe, responsible style of play that minimizes the risk of head injuries.
  • Promote sportsmanship and respect among players.
  • Emphasize movement control and avoidance techniques to minimize head contact.

• Ensure that athletes wear protective equipment that is adequate, properly fitted and approved according to safety standards [2].
  • Provide advice on the proper selection, fitting and maintenance of protective equipment.
  • Regularly replace worn or damaged equipment.
• Helmets:
  • Require the wearing of approved helmets for sports with a high risk of head contact, such as American soccer, ice hockey and rugby.
  • Ensure that helmets fit properly and are free from damage.
• Face protection:
  • Use face protectors for sports at risk of facial injury, such as lacrosse and ice hockey.
• Mouthguards:
  • Encourage the use of mouthguards for sports that risk injury to the mouth and jaw, such as soccer, basketball and ice hockey.
  • Choose comfortable, well-fitting mouthguards for optimal protection.
• Sport-specific equipment:
  • Promote the use of additional protective equipment specific to certain sports, such as cervical collars for combat sports or padding for sliding sports.

• Teach athletes proper training techniques to improve neck strength, balance and proprioception (the ability to perceive body position and movement).
  • Include muscle-strengthening exercises targeting neck and core muscles in training programs.
  • Integrate balance and coordination exercises to improve stability and the ability to react quickly to changing situations.
• Train athletes in safe tackling and contact techniques.
  • Emphasize control of movement, body position and use of proper technique to minimize the risk of head injury.
  • Practice non-contact tackling and contact techniques at full speed before moving on to actual contact.
• Incorporate physical conditioning exercises to improve endurance and reduce fatigue.
  • Fatigue can increase the risk of injury, including concussion.
  • Improving athletes’ physical condition can help them stay focused and coordinated during training and competition.

• Establish clear protocols for the identification, assessment and management of concussions.
  • These protocols should include guidelines for coaches, parents and athletes on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of concussion.
  • They should also define assessment and progressive return-to-play procedures.
• Train coaches and medical staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of concussion.
  • These signs and symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, vision problems, nausea, vomiting, confusion, irritability, concentration and memory problems, and balance problems.
• Monitor injured athletes and ensure a safe and gradual return to play.
  • Return to play should only take place after a full medical evaluation and complete resolution of symptoms.
  • Return to play should be gradual, starting with low-intensity activities and gradually increasing the training load.

• Foster collaboration between athletes, coaches, parents, medical staff and sports administrators.
  • Open and transparent communication between all stakeholders is essential to concussion prevention and management.
  • Athletes must feel comfortable reporting concussion symptoms without fear of reprisal.
• Encourage a sports culture that puts athletes’ health before performance.
  • Winning should never be more important than the health and safety of athletes.
  • Create an environment where athletes are encouraged to report injuries and focus on full recovery before returning to activity.
• Implement injury reporting and tracking systems to facilitate decision-making and prevention.
  • These systems can help identify concussion trends and patterns, and implement corrective measures to reduce risk.

By adopting a comprehensive approach and implementing these effective prevention strategies, concussions can be prevented to a large extent. Awareness, education, appropriate rules and regulations, adequate protective equipment, training techniques.

Please note that we are not medical professionals, and that it is important to consult a physician if you suspect your child has suffered a concussion. The doctor’s recommendations take precedence over the advice presented in this article.

Sources : 

[1] Ministère de l’Éducation, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche. (2015). Plan d’action pour la prévention et la gestion des concussions liées à la pratique d’activités récréatives et sportives. Government of Quebec. Accessed at the following URL: https://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/loisir-sport/plandaction_commotions.pdf 

[2] Government of Canada. 2021. Concussion prevention and risks. Consulted at the following URL: https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-publique/services/maladies/commotions-cerebrales-signes-symptomes/commotions-cerebrales-prevention-risques.html