On Wednesday, a day when Baltimore Ravens RB Jamal Lewis announced his retirement, because of post-concussion symptoms, the NFL released new rules on concussions, specifically targeted on when and if a player can return to gameplay after a concussion. In the past the NFL has said that players could return to the field as soon as their symptoms were gone, even if it were the same game in which the injury occurred.
The new rules were outlines in a press release from the league. This follows preliminary results from a study conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research at the behest of the NFL, which reported that Alzheimer’s disease and similar memory-related diseases appear to occur among NFL players far more often than in the general public. Among the ages for men of 30 - 49, in fact, the rate is 19 times the normal rate that for the normal population.
The new, stricter, 2009 statement from the NFL advises teams that a player who suffers a concussion should not return to play or practice on the same day if he shows any signs or symptoms of a concussion that are outlined in the return-to-play statement. Those symptoms are:
- Loss of consciousness;
- Confusion as evidenced by disorientation to person, time or place; inability to respond appropriately to questions; or inability to remember assignments or plays;
- Amnesia as evidenced by a gap in memory for events occurring just prior to the injury; inability to learn and retain new information; or a gap in memory for events that occurred after the injury;
- Abnormal neurological examination, such as abnormal pupillary response, persistent dizziness or vertigo, or abnormal balance on sideline testing.
- New and persistent headache, particularly if accompanied by photosensitivity, nausea, vomiting or dizziness;
- Any other persistent signs or symptoms of concussion.
There is concern that players, who often want to get back on the field badly, will hide their symptoms from their team doctors. Commissioner Roger Goodell emphasized that is the responsibility of the players to report their injuries truthfully:
“A critical element of managing concussions is candid reporting by players of their symptoms following an injury. Accordingly, players are to be encouraged to be candid with team medical staffs and fully disclose any signs or symptoms that may be associated with a concussion.”
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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