Concussion

Coaches, Parents and Players all play their part in recognising, dealing with and reporting concussion.

The 4 R's

• Recognise
• Remove
• Recover
• Return

The attached documents should be an essential part of every age groups first aid provision

Recognise the symptoms and signs of concussion
A player does not need to be knocked out (lose consciousness) to have had a concussion.

Thinking problems the player may experience:

Does not know time, date, place, period of game, opposing team, or the score in the game – use the Pocket SCAT3 (PDF 128KB) questions to help you
General confusion
Cannot remember things that happened before and/or after the injury
Seems slow to answer questions or follow directions
Seems easily distracted
Not playing as well as expected
A blank stare/glassy eyed, “the lights are on but nobody's home”
Things the player may complain of or you see:

• Knocked out
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Feel dazed, “dinged” or stunned
• Loss of vision, seeing double or blurred, seeing stars or flashing lights
• Ringing in the ears
• Sleepiness
• Stomach ache, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting
• Poor coordination or balance, staggering around or unsteady on feet
• Slurred speech
• Poor concentration
• Strange or inappropriate emotions (i.e. laughing, crying, getting angry easily)
• Feeling generally unwell