Concussion in contact sports is a controversial, sensitive and topical issue – and it’s also an extremely important one.
From the moment I received a knock to the head against Collingwood at the MCG I entered what is known as concussion protocol.
Once a player enters the concussion protocol, team doctors have the first, last and only say with respects to the player’s ability to return to the field.
When I first retreated to the bowels of the Members Stand with our club doctor, we began to work through an assessment tool known as SCAT3 which is used in conjunction with several other pieces of information to diagnose the possible existence and/or severity of a concussion. This particular test takes into account symptoms and also tests the cognitive function of someone’s brain.
We began by answering several orientation questions known the Maddocks Score. These are questions that anyone not experiencing a concussive episode would be able to answer. Where are we? Who did we play last week? Who kicked the last goal? Which half are we in?
Next, I was given a brief survey to answer based on how I was feeling at the time. Was I experiencing any dizziness? Pressure in the head? Fogginess? Feeling slowed down? Neck pain? And so on.
Next, as a memory assessment, I was given five words to remember: candle, paper, sugar, sandwich and wagon.
Given my natural urge to get back out on the field, coupled with still being able to hear the roar of the crowd, this was a frustrating process to go through. However, I’m fully aware of its necessity and importance.
Next I was asked to say the months of the year in reverse order. Following that I was given a list of numbers and asked to repeat them in reverse order.
163 would be 361.
9845…..
61742…..
380475…...
Following this, the doctor checked my balance. I had to stand on my non-dominant leg, close my eyes and balance for 20 seconds. This is hard for me to do normally, let alone if I happened to be concussed. That’s why the test is compared to a baseline of your own results.
It’s all about collecting as much information as possible so doctors can make an informed decision.
Can you remember the five words I had to memorise? Just for the record I nailed them and generally performed very well on all of the aforementioned tests and questions. However, there was an element of the vision of the incident that our doctors weren’t comfortable with that led them to rule me out for the remainder of the match.
The decision to rule me out of the game certainly wasn’t made without an argument from me! I was extremely determined to get back on the ground, but in that situation the doctors are compelled to err on the side of caution and make sure they look after their players’ welfare and best interests.
