Knees can be repaired and even replaced. Ankles, elbows and
shoulders will heal.
But as veteran Hersey athletic trainer Hal Hilmer put it, "You
only have one brain and you have to take care of it."
So Township High School District 214, which includes Hersey,
Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove and Wheeling,
has taken a giant step in making sure thats the case with its
athletes and students.
"Head Injury Care Guidelines and Return To Play Protocol," which
was designed and implemented by all of 214s athletic trainers, was
adopted the districts administrators May 21. Hilmer said the
district is probably one of the first in the state and possibly the
country to set down an actual protocol.
They undoubtedly wont be the last.
"These guidelines define a step-by-step approach to safely return
an athlete to activity as recommended by the most current research
in the field," Prospect athletic trainer Matt Guth said in a release
from 214.
"Dealing with head injuries is often difficult because the
athlete may seem all right," Wheeling athletic trainer Rocco Tieri
said in the same release. "Many schools in the area use the same
procedures but do not have a policy in place.
"This new policy gives the district athletic trainers the tools
to manage the care of their athletes."
It makes use of the ImPACT test (Immediate Post-Concussion
Assessment and Cognitive Testing), which was developed by a pair of
doctors in the early 1990s. The computer-based testing program is
specifically designed for the management of sports-related
concussions and has been used in recent years by schools in District
214 and others in the area.
But now, the six district schools have an official series of
steps and guidelines to follow before an athlete who sustains a head
injury is cleared by an athletic trainer to return to physical
activity.
"Well look at each individual incident of a concussion or head
injury on its own merits," Hilmer said. "We may have some kids out
three to four weeks and we may have some out a week-and-a-half or
two weeks.
"Its all based on their own signs and symptoms and the test
results we get from the ImPACT computer program."
Hilmer said theres no way to cheat on these tests. But theyre
also a vital tool since athletes who have suffered concussions will
often say they feel fine when they dont.
If an athlete reports signs or symptoms of suffering a
concussion, or they are observed by a coach or parent, the
guidelines do not allow the athlete to return to play and requires
him or her to be evaluated on site by an athletic trainer.
Other steps include calling the parents, possibly calling 911 if
an athletic trainer isnt available and making sure the athlete isnt
left alone and is monitored in the hours after the injury.
Before there is a return to any physical activity, the guidelines
recommend as much cognitive rest as possible, which includes limits
on watching TV, playing video games and text messaging.
An athlete then will take the ImPACT test 24 to 72 hours after
the injury. Test scores will be compared to the athletes baseline
scores and trainers notify the coaches and parents of the athletes
status.
In another five days the athlete gets another ImPACT test. The
test will continue to be given every five to 10 days until it is
determined the athlete is symptom-free.
Then comes a series of physical steps, each taking 24 hours,
which must be passed symptom-free. If symptoms return, the process
goes back to the previous step after a minimum of 48 hours of rest.
"Were not trying to rush a child back," Hilmer said. "Were very
cautious of second-impact syndrome."
Especially with how the games and the kids who play them have
changed since Hilmer, Guth and Wheeling associate principal and
former athletic trainer Brian Lichtenberger started nearly 30 years
ago.
"One of the things we see now is the athlete is much bigger and
faster and they hit a lot harder than they did back then," Hilmer
said. "The likelihoods of these injuries is much greater than it was
back then."
The policy will probably cause some frustration with athletes who
think they feel fine but still show signs they arent ready to return
to action.
But when it comes to head injuries, history shows its best to be
safe rather than sorry.
"We all love sports and love working with the athletes," Hilmer
said of his colleagues. "We want to make sure theyre as safe as
possible."
mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com
(C) 2010 Chicago Daily Herald. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved