[hlnx1]

Concussion is a brain injury, and it can happen without losing consciousness. The guiding rule in international consensus statements is simple: if in doubt, sit them out.

Key points from mainstream guidance:

• Any athlete with a suspected concussion should be removed from play and not return the same day
• Symptoms include headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea, sensitivity to light or noise, and feeling “not right”
• Return should follow a graded, step-by-step programme, usually starting with light activity and progressing only if symptoms do not return
• Children and adolescents are generally managed more conservatively, and return to school or study comes before return to sport

More detail: concussion: science and protocols.

Does your club or team have a written concussion protocol?

[hlnx1]

Urgent signs that need emergency care: worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, increasing confusion, weakness or numbness, slurred speech, or loss of consciousness.

Anyone with these after a head knock should go to hospital, not wait to see how they feel.

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