Concussions: How elite academic high schools handle them
In a country where over two million concussions occur every year, the Providence Day School student body is regularly affected by this debilitating injury.
By Ryan Heffes
The brain's natural position is disrupted following a concussive blow to the head. Photo courtesy of Patrick J. Lynch.
Concussions occur following a significant blow to the head in which normal brain function is stopped. Every case is unique, as symptoms range from headaches at the lowest severity, to vomiting in more severe cases. Additionally, athletes are at an increased risk, and at a very athletically involved school like PDS, concussions are a regular occurrence. However, concussions will arise with or without sports. This befalls a challenge on the administration for how they deal with, and help, a concussed student. Also, a similar test is handed to coaches and training staff to help the concussed athletes get back onto the field.
However, what the school does for their concussed students in the classroom is more significant. According to PDS junior Jonathan Alt, “When I had my concussion I was allowed to take short breaks if I started to get a headache or feel other concussion symptoms. They really made it easy for me to return to school.” The way that PDS treats their concussed students shows a lot about the values of the school; the school holds itself to an extremely high academic standard all the while PDS wants to make sure all of their students are in the right place to succeed. Although Jonathan never had to take any of these breaks, he did recognize that Providence Day made an effort to help him get to a right state of mind for him to prosper in the classroom.
With Providence Day School’s success in handling concussions in the classroom, studies have shown that they might not be having the same success on the athletic field. In the school's six stage concussion return to play protocol, it is likely that not enough time is given for athletes to be completely concussion symptom free before returning to play. In one to two weeks, studies have shown that concussed patients have reported feeling better; however, the brain doesn’t fully recover until later.
Not all concussions are of equal severity, and certain activities lead to a higher risk of a concussion. For males, football is the most common sport for concussions, and football players have a 75 percent chance to contract a concussion. For girls, the most common sport is soccer, with a 50 percent chance to get a concussion.
Either way, concussions are going to happen for both males and females, and during them they will most likely still go to school. Providence Day handles them with great caution and allows their students to succeed in the classroom even during their concussion.
Holding themselves to an elite academic standard, PD's ability to not only handle concussed students, but enable them to succeed, sets them apart from other schools of their caliber. Although as a school the concussion protocol for athletes might not be as good as they might like, in the classroom is where the school shines.
"At a very athletically involved school like PDS,
concussions are a regular occurence"
Providence Day houses an extensive concussion protocol for athletes hoping to return to their respective sport.
Although he didn't need any, PDS provided Jonathan with breaks to help him ease his way back into school. Photo courtesy of Ryan Heffes.
"They really made it easy for me to return to school"
Some 47 percent of people do not even report feeling any concussion symptoms after experiencing one. Due to this uncertainty on whether or not the brain is fully recovered when the player thinks that they are okay, returning athletes may face long term effects of the concussion as they didn’t give their body a proper recovery time. However, this doesn’t happen regularly, although it is more common with athletes returning to football since they are banging heads together regularly during practices and games.
Football has the highest number of concussions in men. Photo courtesy of Kyle Wood.
Although the percent chance is much higher for men than for women in the top spots for each, women actually have double the chance of getting a concussion than men. Some studies suggest that it might be because many men’s sports are helmet sports, which are becoming much safer due to improvements to the helmet, and others suggest that the total for women is higher because a typical soccer season plays more games than a typical football season, and 78 percent of concussions occur in games.
"78 percent of concussions occur in games"
"In the classroom is where the school shines."
Football players exerience a jolt to the head that can result in a concussion after every hit. Photo courtesy of Kyle Wood.
COMMUNITY
The Charger, November 2016
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