__________________________ Little League Concussion Information Sheet Why am I getting this information sheet?

You are receiving this information sheet about concussion because of California Assembly Bill 2007 (2016), which added Youth Sports Organization Concussion Protocol to Chapter 4 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code:

1. The law requires a youth athlete who may have a concussion during a practice or game to be removed from the activity for the remainder of the day.

2. Any athlete removed for this reason must receive a written note from a medical doctor trained in the management of concussion before returning to the activity.

3. Before an athlete can start the season and begin practice in a sport, a concussion information sheet must be signed and returned to the local league by the athlete and their parent/guardian.

What is a concussion and how would I recognize one?

A concussion is a kind of brain injury. It can be caused by a bump or hit to the head, or by a blow to another part of the body with the force that shakes the head. Concussions can appear in any sport, and can look differently in each person.

Most concussions get better with rest and over 90% of athletes fully recover. However, all concussions should be considered serious. If not recognized and managed the right way, they may result in problems including brain damage and even death.

Most concussions occur without being knocked out. Signs and symptoms of concussion (see back of this page) may show up right after the injury or can take hours to appear. If your child reports any symptoms of concussion or if you notice some symptoms and signs, seek medical evaluation from your team’s athletic trainer and a medical doctor trained in the evaluation and management of concussion. If your child is vomiting, has a severe headache, or is having difficulty staying awake or answering simple questions, call 911 to take him or her immediately to the emergency department of your local hospital.

Our league has a Graded Concussion Symptom Checklist. If your child or you fills this out after having had a concussion, it helps the doctor, athletic trainer or coach understand how he or she is feeling and hopefully shows improvement. We ask that you have your child fill out the checklist at the start of the season even before a concussion has occurred so that we can understand if some symptoms such as headache might be a part of his or her everyday life. We call this a “baseline” so that we know what symptoms are normal and common for your child. Keep a copy for your records, and turn in the original. If a concussion occurs, he or she should fill out this checklist daily. This Graded Symptom Checklist provides a list of symptoms to compare over time to make sure the athlete is recovering from the concussion.

What can happen if my child keeps playing with concussion symptoms or returns too soon after getting a concussion?

Athletes with the signs and symptoms of concussion should be removed from play immediately. There is NO same day return to play for a youth with a suspected concussion. Youth athletes may take more time to recover from concussion and are more prone to long-term serious problems from a concussion.

Even though a traditional brain scan (e.g., MRI or CT) may be “normal”, the brain has still been injured. Animal and human research studies show that a second blow before the brain has recovered can result in serious damage to the brain. If your athlete suffers another concussion before completely recovering from the first one, this can lead to prolonged recovery (weeks to months), or even to severe brain swelling (Second Impact Syndrome) with devastating consequences.

There is an increasing concern that head impact exposure and recurrent concussions may contribute to long-term neurological problems. One goal of this concussion program is to prevent a too early return to play so that serious brain damage can be prevented.

How is Return to Play (RTP) determined?

Concussion symptoms should be completely gone before returning to competition. A RTP progression involves a gradual, step-wise increase in physical effort, sports-specific activities and the risk for contact. If symptoms occur with activity, the progression should be stopped. If there are no symptoms the next day, exercise can be restarted at the previous stage.

RTP after concussion should occur only with medical clearance from a medical doctor trained in the evaluation and management of concussions, and a step-wise progression program monitored by an athletic trainer, coach, or other identified school administrator. Please see cifstate.org for a graduated return to play plan. [AB 2007, a California state law effective 1/1/17, states that return to play (i.e., full competition) must be no sooner than 7 days after the concussion diagnosis has been made by a physician.]

References:

• ●  American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement: concussion in sport (2013)

• ●  Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012

• ●  http://www .cdc.gov/concussion/HeadsUp/youth.html

Final Thoughts for Parents and Guardians:

It is well known that athletes will often not talk about signs of concussions, which is why this information sheet is so important to review with them. Teach your child to tell the coaching staff if her or she experiences such symptoms, or if her or she suspects that a teammate has had a concussion. You should also feel comfortable talking to the coaches or administrators about possible concussion signs and symptoms that you may be seeing in your child.

You are receiving this information sheet about concussion because of California Assembly Bill 2007 (2016), which added Youth Sports Organization Concussion Protocol to Chapter 4 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code:

1. The law requires a youth athlete who may have a concussion during a practice or game to be removed from the activity for the remainder of the day.

2. Any athlete removed for this reason must receive a written note from a medical doctor trained in the management of concussion before returning to the activity.

3. Before an athlete can start the season and begin practice in a sport, a concussion information sheet must be signed and returned to the local league by the athlete and their parent/guardian.

   For current and up-to-date information on concussions you can visit:

   http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/HeadsUp/youth. html

I acknowledge that I have received and read the _______________________ Little League Concussion Information Sheet.

______________________________________ Parent/Guardian Name (Printed)

_______________________________ Date

__________________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature

References:

• ●  American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement: concussion in sport (2013)

• ●  Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012

• ●  http://www .cdc.gov/concussion/HeadsUp/youth.html