Concussion, sport and the law

7 May 2013

Unlike Moore and Marshall, a Colorado High School student, Rhett Ridolfi, was not so lucky when, in 2008, he suffered severe and chronic brain injury during American football practice. Ridolfi was injured early on in a coaching session and despite complaining of severe dizziness, Ridolfi’s coaches and other school staff asked him to continue with tackle drills. Ridolfi’s mother, acting on behalf of her paralysed son, subsequently sued the coaches and staff for negligence. The family also sued Riddell, one of America’s leading helmet manufacturers, on product liability grounds and mainly for certain design defects in the helmet but also for inadequate warnings on the dangers of concussion even when playing with a helmet. This month, a Colorado jury found the school staff liable. The jury also held that, although there were no design defects in the product, the helmet manufacturers had not adequately warned users of its equipment on the continuing risk of concussion.

Why are concussions worse in females?

21 April 2013

Women have been increasing in numbers in participation in all of sport. Women's soccer, basketball, lacrosse and many other contact sports are seeing increasing number of participants of all ages. When looking at data comparing male versus female concussion injury rates in sports where both sexes play the same sport, females clearly predominate.

Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012

17 April 2013

This paper is a revision and update of the recommendations developed following the 1st (Vienna 2001), 2nd (Prague 2004) and 3rd (Zurich 2008) International Consensus Conferences on Concussion in Sport and is based on the deliberations at the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012.1–3 The new 2012 Zurich Consensus statement is designed to build on the principles outlined in the previous documents and to develop further conceptual understanding of this problem using a formal consensus-based approach. A detailed description of the consensus process is outlined at the end of this document under the Background section. This document is developed primarily for use by physicians and healthcare professionals who are involved in the care of injured athletes, whether at the recreational, elite or professional level.

New Sports Concussion Guideline from the AAN Says Athletes with Suspected Concussion Should Be Removed from Play

19 March 2013

With more than one million athletes now experiencing a concussion each year in the United States, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has released an evidence-based guideline for evaluating and managing athletes with concussion. This new guideline replaces the 1997 AAN guideline on the same topic. The new guideline is published in the March 18, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, was developed through an objective evidence-based review of the literature by a multidisciplinary committee of experts and has been endorsed by a broad range of athletic, medical and patient groups.

Concussion Consensus Statement Encourages Gradual Return to School

14 March 2013

Student-athletes should take a gradual approach to returning to school and social activities after sustaining a concussion, according to the latest consensus statement on concussion in sport released Tuesday. The statement is the product of the Fourth International Conference on Concussion in Sport held last fall in Zurich. Roughly 30 of the world's leading sports-concussion experts collaborated on the document, which covers everything from the definition and symptoms of a concussion to best practices for concussion prevention and recovery.