The Revised Concussion Rulebook: What It Means for Kids and Contact Sports

(Nov. 2) -- Concussions, no matter how minor the symptoms, need to be a top medical priority for young athletes, their coaches and their parents. That's the bottom line from a top medical advisory board, which Monday issued a rigorous new set of recommendations on the management of concussive injuries.

After months of debate over the proper handling of concussions, especially among teenage football players, the American Academy of Neurology has published a position paper on the issue.

What's the AAN's key point?

That concussions can be lifelong injuries with incredibly serious implications and need to be treated as such.

Any athlete suspected of suffering a concussion ought to be pulled from the field immediately and be evaluated by an expert in brain trauma, according to the AAN.

"We owe it to athletes to advocate for policy measures that promote high quality, safe care for those participating in contact sports," Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, chairman of the AAN's sports neurology section, said in a press release.

The AAN also recommends that a certified athletic trainer be on hand at any sporting event where concussion is a possibility, and that coaches and parents receive more comprehensive training in concussion symptoms.

How might sports change with more rigorous concussion caution?

It's the 4.1 million teens involved in amateur sports who will be most affected by the policy recommendations.

But the suggestions, if implemented, could mean even more kids and teens getting rushed to the hospital for symptoms. Already, that number has increased significantly, doubling from 2000 and 2005.

"Our mantra is 'when in doubt, sit them out, '" Christopher Giza, a pediatric specialist at UCLA, told the Los Angeles Times. "We should be erring on the side of getting them out of a situation where they could be at risk of additional injury."

And with experts making judgment calls, rather than parents and volunteers, amateur sporting events will see their health protocol streamlined and overhauled.

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But are the standards realistic?

Not necessarily, and the AAN admits as much. The group is calling the recommendations "a gold standard to strive for," and also warns that schools unable to hire an expert or offer appropriate training might want to eliminate contact sports.

"We understand completely that is undoable in today's environment, but we think that is a correct way to organize our priorities," Dr. Kutcher told NPR.

Realistic or not, there's no doubt that concussions among youth athletes ought to be a chief concern of the nation's school-based and extracurricular athletics communities: An estimated 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur each year, according to the CDC.

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