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When you deal with a sports injury, you may need to make a decision on whether or not the person is safe to continue to play or if they need to be withdrawn. Ultimately, follow the guidelines of your sports body as we cannot cover all the rules on this course, but we can cover some basic advice. The first thing we need to look out for is indications as to whether or not a head injury has occurred. If any of the following are apparent, a serious head injury could have occurred and the person should be immediately removed from play and professional medical help obtained: - Deteriorating levels of consciousness •Increasing confusion, irritability and headaches •Weakness, tingling, numbness, or burning on their body •Convulsions or seizures •Repeated vomiting • and finally, any double vision or deafness. To get more indications of a head injury you can try asking some of these questions and if any are incorrectly answered, this may show signs of a concussion: For example, •“What address are we are at today?” What's the current score? •“What training have we done today?” •“Who has scored so far” •“How many games have we won this season?” • and finally “Who did you play against last week?”. Once you have completed your assessment, you can then make your decision. With head injuries, it is better to be safe than sorry, and the best course of action may be to withdraw the individual from play if you suspect any of these issues.
Sports Injury Management: Assessing Head Injuries
Guidelines for Assessing Head Injuries
When dealing with a sports injury, determining whether a person can continue to play or should be withdrawn is crucial. Follow the guidelines of your sports body for specific rules.
Signs of Serious Head Injury
Immediate removal from play is advised if any of the following signs are present:
- Deteriorating levels of consciousness
- Increasing confusion, irritability, and headaches
- Weakness, tingling, numbness, or burning sensations on their body
- Convulsions or seizures
- Repeated vomiting
- Double vision or deafness
Assessing Indications of a Head Injury
Ask the following questions to gauge signs of a concussion:
- "What address are we at today?"
- "What's the current score?"
- "What training have we done today?"
- "Who has scored so far?"
- "How many games have we won this season?"
- "Who did you play against last week?"
If these questions are answered incorrectly, it may indicate signs of a concussion.
Making the Decision
After completing your assessment:
Err on the side of caution: Withdraw the individual from play if any of the above signs are suspected.
For comprehensive guidelines on sports injury management, consult ProTrainings.
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