ACTive: Free Concussion Training for Sports Coaches The Oregon Center for Applied Science, Inc. Page 1 of 2

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  Jason Belser played 11 seasons in the NFL and is now an executive with the National Football League Players Association. Here he discusses why athletes might resist leaving the game after a possible concussion. Produced by Brian King and Noel Gunther. Transcript of this video.
  
• Jason Belser Discusses Concussion and the NFL
• 
  "Don't even try to fool me because I'm watching you!" So says Jay Driscoll, ATC / CSCS, athletic director at Washington, DC’s St. Albans School, to his student athletes, alluding to the fact that some athletes cover up a mild brain injury so as to stay in the game. With a no-nonsense attitude and a keen sense of humor, Jay talks to BrainLine about his program on injury prevention, care, and rehabilitation services as well as how he helps his athletes meet and exceed demands by enhancing their physical fitness, performance, and health.
  
  Transcript of this video.
• Working the Sidelines
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  Dr. James Kelly is professor of Neurosurgery and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and associate director of the Colorado Area Health Education Center System. This is BrainLine's exclusive interview with Dr. Kelly recorded on July 11, 2008. Transcript of this video.
• Dr. James Kelly Talks About Second Impact Syndrome
• 
  Transcript of this video. Welcome to the first in a series of webcasts on traumatic brain injury, hosted by Doris McMillon. Concussion: Understanding Mild Traumatic Brain Injury will help you understand what a concussion is and what to expect during recovery. We are pleased to feature the following distinguished guests:

  • Dr. Jim Kelly, Professor of Neurosurgery and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
  • Dr. Aditya Bhagwat, Clinical Neuropsychologist from Walter Reed Army Medical Center
  • Lesley LeMasurier, a college senior at the University of Colorado who was training with the United States Ski Team until the toll of cumulative mild TBIs ended her ski career

  Panelist Bios

  James P. Kelly, MA, MD, FAAN
  Dr. Kelly is Professor of Neurosurgery and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and Associate Director of the Colorado Area Health Education Center System. He graduated cum laude with a BA from Western Michigan University, with a major in Psychology and minor in Chemistry before obtaining his MA, also at WMU, in Clinical Psychology. He earned his medical degree from Northwestern University. Kelly specializes in all aspects of traumatic brain injury research and clinical care. His scientific publications and editorials have appeared in numerous medical journals, and he is invited to speak on a variety of neurological topics across the United States and abroad. Among countless other affiliations, positions, and publications, he was lead author of the Colorado and American Academy of Neurology Guidelines for the Management of Sports Concussion, and a co-author of the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC), which is the most widely used sideline mental status test in sports. Dr. Kelly is a member of the Colorado State Boxing Commission and is the consulting neurologist to the National Hockey League Players Association, to the Aspen Skiing Company, and to the US Department of Defense for blast injury and concussion. He is Chairman of the Defense Health Board's Traumatic Brain Injury External Advisory Subcommittee for military clinical care, research, and education. He maintains an active outpatient and inpatient practice at the University of Colorado Hospital. Aditya A. Bhagwat, PhD, ABPP-CN
  Dr. Bhagwat is a board certified Clinical Neuropsychologist currently working in the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. He completed his undergraduate studies in Psychology at McGill University, his doctoral work in Counseling Psychology at The Ohio State University, and a postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology through the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Dr. Bhagwat served as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force for seven years before joining the DVBIC, where he is privileged to be able to continue serving military service members who have suffered brain injuries. Lesley LeMasurier
  A senior at University of Colorado at Boulder (CU), Lesley LeMasurier grew up skiing in Virginia until age twelve, when she moved north to attend Burke Mountain Academy, a ski racing school in Vermont. In the spring of 2003, she earned a spot on the United States Alpine Development Ski Team. Over the course of the two years (2001 – 2003) prior to joining the US Team, she suffered four concussions, and began struggling with poor balance, coordination, and strength on the left side of her body. She also began suffering from migraines and insomnia. Despite these symptoms, she accepted the spot on the team. But after many crashes resulting in a fifth concussion, a broken right leg, and torn ligaments in her left knee in early 2005, she left the development team to focus on her health. An English major with a minor in Ethnic Studies, she is also a member of the CU Varsity Ski Team, but given her history of mild TBI, she is medically ineligible to compete. However, she continues her relationship with athletics by assisting with ski team training sessions, mentoring freshman student-athletes in the athletic department at CU, and serving as a board member and the athlete representative for the Shelley Glover Ski Education Foundation. She plans to pursue an MFA in writing upon completion of her undergraduate studies. About BrainLine Webcasts We've launched BrainLine's webcast series to keep you informed — on an ongoing basis — about preventing, treating, and living with traumatic brain injury. Listen, watch, and learn from top experts in the field — from neurosurgeons and speech pathologists to long-time caregivers and individuals living with TBI.
• Concussion: Understanding Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Take free Athletic Concussion Training here!

It’s the first junior varsity soccer game of the season. Sarah, a novice player, collides on the field, body to body with an opposing player. Sarah stumbles after she gets up and doesn’t seem to know which side of the field she should be on. As her coach, what do you do?

Each day, youth sports coaches face situations like this in practices and games across the country. A soccer player runs into another player, a cheerleader falls doing a stunt, or a basketball player hits her head when she falls after making a shot. In many cases, the coach is responsible for deciding whether to return the youth to play, and whether follow-up medical care is needed. Unfortunately, most individuals coaching children in high school and youth sports rarely receive any type of formal training in concussion management (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001). The presence of a team physician or certified athletic trainer on the sideline is rare, even at the high school level. Thus, the initial evaluation of any injury, including concussion, is often left to the coach.

It is estimated that 1.6–3.8 million sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries occur in the United States yearly (Langlois, Rutland-Brown & Wald, 2006) with the highest rates of emergency department visits for sports concussion occuring for youth ages 10 to14, followed by those ages 15 to19 (CDC, 2007). Young athletes appear to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of concussion (Buzzini & Guskiewicz, 2006; Kirkwood, Yeates & Wilson, 2006). They are more likely than college athletes to experience memory and attention problems after concussion (Field, Collins, Lovella & Maroon, 2003) and often take longer to recover. Teenagers also appear to be more prone to Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) a condition attributed to the effects of a second injury to the brain that occurs while the brain is still healing from an initial concussion (Iverson, Gaetz, Lovell & Collins, 2004). SIS results in rapid swelling of the brain and almost always results in death or severe long-term injury (McCrory & Berkovic, 1998; Ommaya, Goldsmith & Thibault, 2002). The importance of proper recognition and management of concussed young athletes cannot be over-emphasized.

Despite their lack of training, youth and high school coaches are in an important position to identify the typical behavioral and physical signs of concussion and to mitigate the risks associated with concussion in young athletes. Like the general public, coaches have misconceptions about concussion (Guilmette & Paglia, 2004). However, with adequate training, they are able to recognize signs and symptoms that may point to serious problems (McLeod, Swartz & Bay, 2007). They can also play an important role by educating their athletes about concussion and emphasizing the importance of reporting any concussion symptoms.

A new e-learning program has been specifically designed to address the knowledge gaps of youth sports coaches and empower them to make decisions regarding athletes with possible concussion. ACTive: Athletic Concussion Training™ using Interactive Video Education, is now available free of charge. Developed with funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the 20-minute interactive training program consists of modules covering general information about youth sports concussion, as well as how to recognize and manage athletes with signs or symptoms of a possible concussion. Content for the ACTive program was based on the recommendations of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the International Conference on Concussion in Sport (Guskiewicz et al., 2004; McCrory et al., 2009). Specific content and design elements were modified based on input from focus groups with youth sports coaches and interviews with sports medicine physicians, pediatricians, neuropsychologists, public health professionals and certified athletic trainers, all representing a variety of athletic and community contexts.

The training emphasizes three key messages:

1. When in doubt, pull them out (pull a player from a game or practice if concussion is suspected),
2. Stand tall, make the call (it is the coach’s responsibility to keep players safe) and
3. No play without OK (a player should not return to play until cleared by a healthcare provider).

The program uses graphics, video, and interactive quizzes that reinforce key teaching points, and includes printable reference materials on concussion management. Critical to the training are application exercises in which the user responds to sample athletic scenarios involving a possible concussion. Coaches can print a certificate of completion after completing the training.

Evaluation. Results from a randomized controlled trial with 75 youth sports coaches were reported in a recent article in the Journal of Sports Science and Coaching (Glang, Koester, Beaver, Clay & McLaughlin, 2010). Outcome measures included two standardized instruments (Guilmette et al., 2007; McLeod, Swartz, & Bay, 2007) as well as scenario-based questions designed to assess how well coaches might apply concussion management strategies on the field. Results showed that the coaches who viewed the ACTive program showed significantly greater improvement than those in the control group in their knowledge of concussion symptoms, their confidence regarding recommended actions following concussion, and their intention to take action in situations like those presented in the scenarios. Importantly, coaches rated the e-learning training as highly interesting and very easy to use. Sample comments from coaches who participated in the training include:

“The program reinforced some things I already knew, but I also learned very much and will never feel bad about making the decision to remove a player if I suspect a concussion.”

From the Oregon Center for Applied Science, Inc. Reprinted with permission. www.orcasinc.com.

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