URI_Research_Magazine_Momentum_Spring_2018_Melissa-McCarthy

Without the accurate concussion education, players go undiagnosed, and those with concussions are allowed to return to the game.

Model which demonstrates areas of the brain used for teaching students, patients, athletes and parents about concussions.

tutorials, and printed resources were studied on how well they retained this knowledge and applied it to their children. Konin and Horsley uncovered that the overwhelming majority of surveyed parents knew a majority of clear diagnosable symptoms of concussions such as headaches, difficulty with concentration and blurred vision. “We found that they were fairly educated on the science and the symptoms of concussions,” he says. “The results of this study were published in The Internet Journal of Allied Health Science and Practice in 2017.” Although most parents could identify basic symptoms, others misidentified foot pain, clinched fists, and various other unrelated indicators as concussion symptoms. Additionally, more than half of all parents were unaware of the youth hockey organizations’ concussion policy, let alone the state and international guidelines. This inconsistent understanding places young athletes at risk. Parents of these players are often best positioned to first notice signs of a concussion but without the accurate concussion education, players go undiagnosed, and those with concussions are allowed to return to the game. If nothing is done to remedy this knowledge gap, players face the long-term effects of undiagnosed and repeated concussions, in mild cases, making it harder to focus in school or on basic tasks, with some severe cases stunting cognitive brain development and function for these young athletes.

Jeff Konin Professor Physical Therapy

Spring | 2018 Page 51