Heads Up: High School, Doctors Educate Borough on Concussions

The excitement of fall sports is in the air. Friday night football, Saturday morning soccer and other games are about to begin within the next week.

With that excitement also arrives the danger of injuries to student-athletes arrives.  One of the most dangerous, mysterious, and long-term injuries that can happen to an athlete is a concussion.

 The Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation held a seminar at Hopatcong High School on Wednesday night to inform students, parents and coaches on the dangers and signs of concussions, as well as the proper recovery process.

Hopatcong Athletic Director Tom Vara was responsible for setting up the seminar with the Kessler Institute, and knew that spotting a concussion and the recovery process was becoming a necessary issue to discuss.

"When Kessler approached me about running a seminar on sports injuries, the first thing that came to my mind was sports-related concussions," Vara told the crowd in his opening remarks.

Concussions have already had an effect on Hopatcong High School's fall sports, and the games haven't even officially begun.

"We've had three concussions already in our football program," Vara said.  "We had a total of five or six last year, and that was in all of our sports."

"I would have to say in football and soccer we see the most concussions, with wrestling not too far behind," continued Vera, a former wrestling coach.

Hopatcong Athletic Trainer John Canzone also acknowledged that concussions are a growing problem among young athletes that the school is looking into cutting down on.

"We're actually currently trying to install a 'return-to-play' criteria with the school board, which students must follow in order to get back on the field," said Canzone, entering his 16th year at the high school.  "Once they're exercising symptom-free, they'll be allowed to go back on the field with our approval and doctor's approval."

The seminar was run by Dr. Monique J. Tremaine and Dr. Julie Burhart-Crumby, in front of a crowd of about 60 coaches and parents from Hopatcong, as well as Mount Olive and Randolph high schools.  The information included what a concussion is, what signs to look for in the athlete who you suspect may have suffered a concussion and how to return the athlete back to a healthy, ready-to-play form. 

"It's important for the coaches, the parents, and the teachers to all be on the same page and know what to expect from the child," Tremaine said.

The seminar focused on the concept that although concussions are certainly not unavoidable in contact sports, it is extremely vital that concussions be detected early, and that the proper steps are followed in order to ensure the child will be healthy when returning to normal activity. 

"I want them to take it seriously," Vara said.  "If you're not feeling well, you need to let someone know right away.  It's different than a hurt ankle or something like that."

Near the end of the seminar, Vara shared his personal experiences with concussions.

"I've been a coach before, and I would say, 'Get 'em back out there.' But you need to go out and find more information, because it's just not worth it."

While it was clear Hopatcong's residents, such as Vara, had taken the information to heart, it was also clear that other schools had learned from this experience as well. 

 "It was definitely very informative and helpful," Marlene Lang, a gymnastics coach at Randolph High School, said.  "I was aware of the problem with concussions, but not to the point that I am now."

If you missed the seminar and would like some more information on the identification and recovery of a concussion, visit www.kessler-rehab.com.