GAA Concussion Awareness - Ryan Mcugh
By John Harrington
An updated Gaelic Games Concussion Awareness eLearning Course has been launched that will help players and coaches of Gaelic Games (GAA, Camogie and LGFA) recognise the signs and symptoms of concussion and understand basic principles of management.
The course takes around 15 minutes to complete and is now available on the GAA Learning and Development Portal.
By completing the course both players and coaches will have a greater understanding of the symptoms of concussion, how to manage and cope with concussion, and eventually return to play in a safe way by following the Gradual Return to Play Protocol.
This initiative comes hot on the heels of the Standing Committee on Playing Rules, in conjuction with the GAA's Medical and Scientific Committee, bringing a motion to Congress that proposes a new temporary substitute rule at all levels of both codes along the lines of the blood sub that would allow teams to replace a player who has suffered a potential concussion.
Last year the GAA also launched a new Concussion Awareness Campaign which featured a series of videos designed to increase awareness of the symptoms and treatment of concussion.
“Concussion is an ever present item on the agenda for the GAA's Medical and Scientific Welfare Committee, it's never not close to the very top of the agenda,” says Kevin Leahy, the GAA’s Player Welfare Manager and Secretary of the Medical and Scientific Welfare Committee.
“The fact that we've gone out and produced two awareness videos on top of refreshing an awareness course that was already there in conjunction with the proposed rule change at Congress, I think that emphasises how seriously we are taking it.
“We just have to be careful because everything we do has to be implementable across all levels and all grades. Whatever we do is as applicable on a Sunday morning in a Junior League game as much as it is in Croke Park on All-Ireland Sunday.
“Concussion is the same as any other injury, if you leave it untreated it'll get worse, not better. But if you do go through the proper mechanisms you'll get back to full health and there's no reason why you can't get back to play if you take your time and do things properly.”
Dr. Kevin Moran, Consultant Surgeon in Letterkenny University Hospital and Donegal GAA Team Doctor, in attendance at the 2016 National Concussion Symposium at Croke Park in Dublin.
One of the most challenging aspects of diagnosing and treating concussion is that no two concussions are identical.
They can present with a wide range of symptoms, and quite often those symptoms only become apparent in the days after an impact injury.
“What we're hoping this course will highlight is that it may not be in the immediate aftermath of an impact where a player will feel concussed,” says Leahy.
“They could feel fine at the time, they could play the rest of the game, and it could be that evening, the next day, or in subsequent days where they start to get some of the symptoms.
“So, it's important they realise that if they took an impact in a game a few days previously that they should be getting it checked out.
“It's not a case where if you finish a game you're automatically okay. It's about recognising symptoms no matter when they occur.
“The course is designed for Gaelic Games in general. There can be subtle differences between concussions in females versus concussions in males, and there's a specific section in the course that reflects that.”
The updated Gaelic Games Concussion Awareness eLearning Course can be accessed HERE.