Gov. Rick Perry on June 17 signed into law a new concussion bill that will be known as Natasha’s Law. This bill will help make sure certain athletes of Texas charter and University Interscholastic League schools are fully recovered before returning to the playing field following a concussion.

Natasha’s Law is named after Natasha Helmick, a student at Texas State University whose soccer career ended after sustaining five concussions in four years while in high school.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, about 140,000 high school students suffer a concussion each year. With this new bill, all UIL and charter high schools and junior high schools will be required to establish a written concussion protocol to manage student-athletes suffering from concussions.

Part of the required protocol is for any athlete suspected of suffering a concussion be immediately removed from practice or play. Once a child is pulled from the game, these are some signs and symptoms I tell parents to watch for upon returning home:

• Headache;

• Dizziness;

• Slurring of speech;

• Stumbling/off balance;

• Vomiting/nausea;

• Ringing in the ears; and

• Difficulty with memory.

If these signs or symptoms worsen or intensify, it is recommended the child be taken to the emergency room. I also recommend parents wake their child every two to three hours to make sure they are responsive.

Once a child is removed from the game by their coach, athletic trainer, physician or parent/guardian, Natasha’s Law requires athletes be evaluated and cleared by a physician before he or she can return to play.

Implementing this law will help prevent students from re-engaging in the sport too soon. If an athlete returns to play before they have fully recovered, they increase their risk for a much greater injury, such as a brain hemorrhage, which can have fatal consequences.

Natasha’s Law requires each school to appoint a concussion oversight team to manage the concussion program. The oversight team must consist of a physician and also include an athletic trainer, advanced practice nurse, neuropsychologist or physician assistant, and will establish criteria, or stages of exertion, each athlete must complete before returning to play.

These stages, which begin with low-level physical exercise and progress back to full participation, will make certain the student does not return to full activity before he or she is ready. It is only when the player has passed the stages of exertion, obtained physician approval and signed (along with his or her parent/guardian) a release form will they be eligible to play again.

It’s important for parents and students to note that concussions have little to do with structural damage to the brain and much more to do with hormonal changes and energy deficits. It’s about function, not structure. A brain that appears completely normal upon physical exam and imaging tests may still need time to heal. Physical and mental difficulties can linger.

Thea Lockett is a certified and licensed athletic trainer with the Christus St. John Concussion Center.

Source: galvestondailynews.com