The Heads-Up on Sport Concussion

152 pages published: 2006

About the Book

Concussions happen at all levels of sport, from the earliest levels through the professional ranks. Potentially catastrophic if not detected early, concussions have ended the careers of many notable professional players—and it’s estimated that in high school football alone, about 1 in 5 players suffers a concussion.

The Heads-Up on Sport Concussion is a concise introductory book on sport concussion for professionals who work with athletes. It provides a comprehensive review of current literature on sport concussion, and it guides professionals in communicating with athletes, parents, and coaches regarding assessment, treatment, and other issues surrounding sport concussion.

In The Heads-Up on Sport Concussion, the authors detail

what happens when the brain is injured; appropriate assessment and evaluation tools; sport-specific issues; how medical organizations are addressing the issue of sport concussion; medical and nonmedical treatment and rehabilitation strategies; recent research on a variety of topics in sport concussion; and essential information for coaches, athletes, and parents.

This book is focused and authoritative in its treatment of a poorly understood medical problem. Providing clear clinical management strategies for sport concussion injuries, the text compiles the best available information from different resources and synthesizes the information with summaries and conclusions for easy comprehension. The material is enhanced further with photos and illustrations depicting MRI scans and brain images showing chemical reactions in the brain after an injury. In addition, the text identifies particular sports and sport activities that have the greatest incidence of sport-related concussions, and it reports on and critiques those strategies that are currently in place to combat sport concussion across different sport groups.

In The Heads-Up on Sport Concussion, professionals in sports medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, and neuropsychology offer strategies for recognizing and treating sport concussion. The text provides appropriate research resources without getting bogged down by lengthy research critiques. Many chapters include a Research Digest section that identifies critical research data used in developing recommendations and conclusions. Additionally, an educational poster is available for download via the Internet for trainers, physicians, coaches, and sports medicine professionals to use to educate athletes and their families about the signs, symptoms, and treatment of concussion. The poster is available at www.HumanKinetics.com/TheHeadsUponSportConcussion.

The Heads-Up on Sport Concussion provides a current understanding of terminology, assessment, treatment, and criteria for return to play for a range of readers. Researchers, medical professionals, and health care specialists will have a more thorough grasp of the various aspects of sport concussion and thus be able to provide better care and education to athletes who sustain concussions. Its complete treatment of a critical topic makes this a must-read for anyone involved in the care and training of athletes.

About the Authors

Gary S. Solomon, PhD, is the team neuropsychologist for the National Hockey League Nashville Predators and a consulting neuropsychologist for the National Football League Tennessee Titans. A member of the American Neuropsychiatric Association and the International Neuropsychological Society, he did his dissertation on head injuries and has treated patients with head injuries for more than 20 years. Certified by the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology, he is a fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology.

Karen M. Johnston, MD, PhD, is the director of the Concussion Program at McGill Sport Medicine Centre and a neurosurgeon with the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec. She is the chair of the Concussion in Sport Group of the International Olympic Committee, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, and the International Ice Hockey Federation. She also serves as the neurosurgeon and consultant for organizations such as the National Hockey League, the Canadian Football League, and Cirque du Soleil.

Mark R. Lovell, PhD, is an associate professor of orthopaedics at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the University of Pittsburgh Sports Medicine Concussion Program. He serves as the neuropsychological consultant for organizations such as the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation and he is the Director for the Neuropsychology Programs for the NFL and NHL. Lovell is a reviewer of The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience and The Journal of Athletic Training.