Return to Play

With the signature of Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, West Virginia became the 46th state to enact a so-called Zackery Lystedt concussion safety law since May 2009.  Of the remaining four states, Wyoming has enacted a weak concussion safety law, the high school athletic association in Arkansas has rules that mirror the concussion laws of other states, legislation is pending in another (South Carolina), leaving only one (Mississippi) with no law or bill pending.

The most recent international consensus of concussion experts is that a young athlete with diagnosed concussion should not be allowed to return to play on the day of injury, regardless of the medical resources available and regardless of the level of athletic performance.

Parents are critical participants in the recognition and treatment of, and recovery from, a concussion, not only in the first 24 to 48 hours but during every step in the process towards an eventual return to the play.

Sports concussion myths are still common, despite increased media focus and education in recent years.

Athletes who suffer concussion should follow a six-step, symptom-limited, return to play process towards return to game play and may require a longer rest period and/or extended period of non-contact exercise before return than adults because they have a different physiological response to concussion, take longer to recover, and have other unique risk factors.

Because the brain of the young athlete is still developing, with even subtle damage leading to learning deficits adversely affecting development, and with studies showing younger athletes recover more slowly than adults, a more conservative approach to concussions in children and teens than for older athletes is recommended.