Emergency response and graduated return-to-play strategy after a sports-related concussion

Abstract

When a head injury occurs in sports, it is important to have an up-to-date and correct under-standing of sports-related concussion (SRC) as well as the possibility of serious injuries such as acute subdural hematoma and cervical spinal cord injury. The process of emergency response for SRC consists of a safety check of sports environment, followed by an assessment for the symptoms including Red Flags to determine whether the emergency response and transport is needed. Regarding to protective equipment in sports, it is not clear when to remove them, thus it is necessary to know a rule for the emergency response in national federations. In case of an emergency, a team should be able to apply a process based on the team’s emergency action plan (EAP). Also conducting simulations of the EAP annually is the key to make a success. For graduated return-to-play (GRTP) in SRC, the 6th International Conference on Concussion in sport recommends that activities should begin 24 to 48 hours after an injury as long as the step one activity does not worsen any symptom. We need to understand how to manage SRC and minimize the risk of SRC.