Youth sports come with risks. Concussions are one of them, and while they’re considered mild brain injuries, they can become a serious matter if not dealt with correctly.
Enter concussion training.
If you’re a youth sports coach or team leader, you’ve almost certainly undertaken some form of concussion training to protect your athletes. But do you know where it all started and how it became so crucial?
In this post, we’ll take a look at how this crucial aspect of athlete safety has evolved, so you can get a better understanding of its significance and how you can use it to protect your team.
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by an impact to the head. We now understand that even mild concussions can cause brain damage, particularly in children whose brains are still developing.
However, back in the day, i.e. pre-2009, concussions weren’t considered all that serious. While injuries were certainly common, especially in high-impact sports like football and hockey, the focus was on preventing and treating more visible injuries like broken bones and bleeding.
But when it came to head injuries, without any immediate outward sign of injury, coaches, players, and even parents often dismissed them as "just a bump on the head." Little did they know that concussions could lead to serious consequences, both short-term and long-term.
View: Brutal football impact via GIPHY
Brutal. Just brutal.
It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the medical community, along with sports organizations, began to realize the extent of the damage done by concussions and to acknowledge the importance of properly handling them. There were still no strict regulations, but there were crucial milestones along the way.
One of these milestones was the tragic experience of a 13-year-old football player named Zackery Lystedt. Zackery played football at Tahoma Junior High School in Maple Valley, Washington. During a home game, he sustained a blow to the head during a routine tackle.
“Zack was not knocked out, but he did grab his head and rocked back-and-forth in pain.”
- Victor Lystedt, Zack’s Dad
With no outward injuries, he was cleared to play through the rest of the game, which he did, and then collapsed on the field after the 4th quarter. Zach received emergency brain surgery to remove parts of his skull to relieve swelling and his life was saved, but it would be three years of painful medical treatments and surgeries before he was able to walk again.
Zackery suffered a catastrophic brain injury during a game because his concussion wasn't managed correctly. This heartbreaking incident led Washington State to pass the Lystedt Law in 2009. The law mandates that young athletes receive proper concussion training and evaluation before returning to play.
This was a game-changer in the world of sports safety. Read about Lystedt’s Law on the WA Govt website.
Surprisingly, the awareness of concussions dates back to ancient Greece, when physicians wrote extensively about injuries to the head that caused loss of consciousness and paralysis.
Jumping ahead to the 1920s, the term "Punch Drunk" was coined to describe boxers who'd stagger around the ring after taking a blow to the head. While we've known about the risks for most of recorded history, there's long been a strong stigma against reporting concussions.
Concussions may not show outward symptoms, so athletes may encounter skepticism or pressure to downplay their symptoms. This societal stigma can greatly impact an athlete's willingness to report incidents. This is why one of the goals of concussion training is to create an environment where athletes feel supported to prioritize their health without fear of judgment.
In the US, several high-profile crimes and tragic suicides by former pro-athletes in the late 90s and early 2000s, combined with increased scientific research, pushed the need for change into the national spotlight.
The Lystedt Law provided a blueprint. As of 2022, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws related to youth sports concussion safety. These laws typically require young athletes, coaches, and sometimes even parents to receive education. Sports team leaders are usually responsible for ensuring full compliance.
The risk exists not only in high-impact sports like hockey and football; almost every physical activity carries risk, from soccer and volleyball to rock-climbing and gymnastics.
The cornerstone of modern concussion training is empathy and education. The goal is to equip stakeholders with:
Organizations like the CDC and NFHS have developed comprehensive training. These courses cover symptoms, management, and the critical step-by-step process for a safe return to play. Most offer certification which should be renewed at least twice a year (check your state laws for specific frequency).
The CDC's Heads Up Training Program offers a thorough suite of materials. The CDC takes the stance that all adults—parents, coaches, trainers, and schools—have a critical role to play in prevention.
In Summary...
The evolution of concussion protocols highlights the journey from head injuries being dismissed to today's comprehensive awareness. The tragic story of Zackery Lystedt underscored the critical need for proper management, leading to groundbreaking legislation and a nationwide movement toward safety.
If you're implementing concussion training and certification for your organization, consider a paperwork automation tool such as The Ankored Platform. Assign trainings, track progress, and view completion status all from one simple dashboard.