Special Report: More girls suffering concussions

Greater awareness on concussion safety has sparked in the past years, prompting new policies and more tools for student-athletes across Coachella Valley.

Experts notice while the injury is commonly underreported, more females and student-athletes from all sports are affected.

“This year I’ve actually seen more cheerleaders…I may have seen a swimmer, definitely football, soccer basketball, and actually more females this year,” said director of Desert Regional’s Concussion Management Program Dr. Pedram Navab.

Since the program’s inception a few years ago, he’s seen more parents and players concerned about repeated concussions and a decrease in participation in football after movies and documentaries came out discussing the impact of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, on players, a serious type of brain trauma.

Defining the injury

Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury – or TBI – “caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head,” according to the CDC’s Heads Up initiative. Fast movement to the brain “can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skill, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging the brain cells,” according to CDC educational materials.

The injury can also cause harmful short and long-term effects. Although the injury is individualized to each athlete, the most common symptoms include headache, dizziness, loss of concentration and sleep problems.

Signs to look out for from the CDC include:

One pupil larger than the other.

Drowsiness or inability to wake up.

A headache that gets worse and does not go away.

Slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or decreased coordination.

Repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures (shaking or twitching).

Unusual behavior, increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.

Loss of consciousness (passed out/knocked out). Even a brief loss of consciousness should be taken seriously.

“We definitely know there’s an impact,” said Dr. Navab. “There’s a theory called Second Impact Syndrome where if you have a first concussion and you end up getting a second concussion, you could get brain swelling and possibly die.”

In the past years, Palm Springs High School has implemented stronger enforcement policies, like strict return to learn and return to play procedures before athletes can return to their sport. In an extensive guidebook, parents and athletes must review the symptoms, wait the required time for recovery and obtain official clearance from a concussion specialist to return to school and sports.

The school also enforces ImPACT baseline neurological testing for all athletes to track before-and-after brain activity. The test includes verbal and visual exercises to create a benchmark for brain function. Athletes take the test after a concussion to compare results and monitor recovery.

Certified athletic trainers and sports medicine program student interns attend every practice and match to closely monitor the athletes and provide first aid.

“You learn as to what are the signs and symptoms players might experience while they’re doing drills or if collision,” said student sports medicine trainer Hailey Aguilar. “You want to let your athletic trainer know, ‘Hey, they’re not doing so well, let’s evaluate them.”

Current Legislation Underway

Assembly Bill 2127 states “an athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury is prohibited from returning to the athletic activity until the athlete is evaluated by a licensed health care provider.”

The bill says “if a licensed health care provider determines that the athlete sustained a concussion or a head injury, the athlete is required to complete a graduated return-to-play protocol of no less than 7 days in duration under the supervision of a licensed health care provider. AB 2127 encourages the California Interscholastic Federation to develop and adopt rules and protocols to implement this provision at all schools throughout the state.

This season the NFL is also testing a new helmet contact rule in an effort to eliminate head-first collisions in the game.