Concussion: A Glasgow Student Athlete Experience
By Jennifer Campbell, May 9th 2022
“Have you or someone you know experienced concussion as a student athlete? We're interested to learn more about your experiences, so that we can continue to learn from one another and support safe return to sport practices.”
This was the message we put out to our athletes at Glasgow with the aim to learn and share the Glasgow Student athlete experience. 2021/22 was the year of the beginning of ConcussEd’s partnership with Glasgow University with the goal of expanding its mission to support, educate and raise awareness of Concussion for all student athletes. With its first set of course sessions successfully gaining high interest, attendance and interaction from students – it set up a vision of the great impact and difference Concussion education could make at Glasgow.
As Glasgow’s student ambassador I was interested to find out “what is the current culture at Glasgow?” and “How educated are our athletes?”. Prior to taking part in the concussion education course, run by Dr Stephanie Adams, I was ignorant and unaware of the severity, danger and consequences associated with concussion as a brain injury. This sparked interest as to what the student athlete experience was like across the board.
To answer these questions, we spoke with athletes from different sports including Football, Basketball, Hockey, Cycling, Running, Rugby, Boxing and other combat sports. This range of experiences helped to begin to build a picture of what the experience and current culture around concussion at Glasgow was like and gave valuable information that can be used by the ConcussEd-Glasgow Uni Partnership in future to tailor, drive and improve the culture at Glasgow.
It was reassuring to read of some positive experiences where the correct protocol was followed, medical professional advice was sought, and the correct rest and recovery period was taken.
“…the referee took me off the pitch to do a concussion test. I then went to the doctors, and they confirmed I had a concussion and told me to take 3 weeks off sport and rest.”
“I had to abide by the return to play guidelines and take time out of sport”
However, what has become apparent from our findings is the opportunity that exists for improved concussion awareness across teammates, coaches and match officials to ensure that concussion is always treated with the gravity it deserves.
“Got kicked in the head playing football, played on for 10 minutes (can’t remember) and then passed out and had loss of memory.”
“I first concussed myself on the university ski trip, then went back to playing hockey a few weeks later and slipped again. I hit my head again and felt very unwell and dizzy, annoyingly I had concussed myself again”
And thereby focusing on educating all those involved in sport, these occurrences of players playing through a concussion and feeling pressure by those around them can be prevented.
“My coaches wanted me to participate and made me feel like I was letting down the team…”
“Coaches especially need be trained about the dangers of concussions because they set the tone and an example for the rest of the team”
Asking what our athletes have learned from their experiences has been eye opening and encouraging. They have facilitated an often avoided topic by enabling us to share their experience with the rest of the student athlete community – to open up the conversation about concussion, spread awareness and reduce stigma.
Lessons learned have ranged from techniques on how to reduce risk in their sport, an acquiring of concussion knowledge and awareness, and most importantly that if in doubt, do not play on and ensure removal from play.
“Take head injuries seriously”
“The monitoring of symptoms was probably the biggest lesson for me - being aware of what ones look like in the long run to allow me to ensure I stuck to the recovery and return to sport plan (and also to be forgiving of myself in terms of uni work during my recovery period)”
Overall, the prevailing lessons shared by our athletes' experiences is the importance of giving concussion injuries the caution and care it deserves as a brain injury. In particular, the urgency of early intervention, the roles of coaches and team-mates, and the significance of appropriate recovery time was highlighted.
“Safety comes first, the sport can wait till the player is fit, healthy and ready to play again”
From speaking with athletes at Glasgow, it is clear that personal and shared experiences create great opportunities for learning and understanding of why Concussion education and the message “If in doubt, sit them out” is so important.