Medical practices in the world of football have come a long way since a wet sponge was treated as a universal cure. Now there is a cold spray.
But the world’s most popular game consistently comes under fire for its relatively reductive approach to dealing with concussion injuries compared to other contact sports, with rugby union often upheld as significantly superior.
IFAB, the governing body which decides football’s laws, have been urged to reconsider their rejection of the Premier League’s proposed changes to the current structures.
With calls for changes in the air, here’s everything you need to know about the current concussion protocols in English football.
Pledgeball’s Katie Cross & Canaries Trust’s Sarah Greaves join Shebahn Aherne to have football’s climate conversation about the success of Green Football Weekend. If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.”
Across a 90-minute match, players repeatedly find themselves in situations where head injuries, including concussions, can occur. In the Premier League last season, there were 11,717 aerial duels contested (per FBref).
Concussion symptoms can include, but are not limited to: “headache or ‘pressure’ in head; nausea or vomiting; balance problems or dizziness, or double or blurry vision; bothered by light or noise; feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy; confusion, or concentration or memory problems”.
The English Football Association‘s concussion guidelines opens with the decree: “Footballers who sustain a suspected concussion, either during training or in a game, should immediately be removed from the pitch and not allowed to return until the appropriate treatment has been administered.”
Essentially, precaution should be prioritised, as alluded to by the slogan the FA have adopted: “If in doubt, sit them out.” If there is confirmation that an individual lost consciousness during the match, “the player must be removed from the field of play, and not be allowed to return.”
Players undergo neuro-psychological testing at the start of each season to act as a baseline for comparison if they are suspected of suffering any head trauma. If a player already has a history of two or more “documented concussive episodes” then they are required to…
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