What can athletes and families do to reduce concussion risk?
In Lynbrook, NY, children, teens, and adults take part in school sports, recreation leagues, cycling, skating, gym workouts, and informal games. No strategy can prevent every concussion, but safer rules, appropriate equipment, good coaching, and prompt response after an impact can reduce risk and limit repeat injury.
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a blow, bump, jolt, fall, or collision that makes the brain move rapidly inside the skull. The impact does not have to be directly to the head. A hard hit to the body can also cause the head and brain to move suddenly.
Prevention starts before the season or activity begins. Athletes and families should understand the rules of play, know how injuries will be handled, and recognize that reporting symptoms is a safety decision—not a sign of weakness.
How do rules and technique help prevent concussions?
Rules that discourage head-first contact, illegal checking, dangerous tackling, or unnecessary collisions are practical concussion-prevention tools. Coaches and officials should enforce these rules consistently during practices and games, not only after a serious injury occurs.
Athletes can also reduce risk by learning techniques that keep the head out of contact. Examples include:
- Keeping the head up while approaching another player
- Avoiding leading with the top or crown of the helmet
- Using the shoulders and hips appropriately during legal contact
- Learning how to fall safely when the sport allows it
- Avoiding contact drills that are poorly supervised or unnecessarily aggressive
- Speaking up when a teammate uses unsafe technique
For younger athletes, practice design matters. Coaches can limit full-contact drills, use age-appropriate instruction, allow adequate recovery between demanding sessions, and make sure players understand that reckless contact is not a measure of toughness.
Do helmets prevent concussions?
Helmets are essential in sports and activities where they are required or recommended, but they cannot prevent all concussions. Helmets are designed primarily to reduce the risk of skull fractures and other serious head injuries. They do not make an athlete immune to the brain movement that causes a concussion.
A helmet should fit correctly, be appropriate for the specific activity, and be maintained according to the manufacturer’s safety guidance. A helmet that is cracked, damaged, poorly adjusted, or too loose may not provide expected protection. Borrowed or used equipment should be inspected carefully before use.
The same principle applies to other protective equipment. Mouthguards may help protect the teeth and mouth, while padding and properly fitted protective gear may reduce some injuries. None of these items should be used as a reason to ignore symptoms or take unnecessary risks.
In New York, children under age 14 are required to wear a helmet while riding bicycles, using in-line skates, skateboarding, or using nonmotorized scooters. Helmet use is also sensible for older adolescents and adults, particularly in crowded areas, on wet pavement, or during higher-speed activities.
What should parents and coaches do before the season?
A preseason safety discussion can prevent confusion after an injury. Families should know:
- Who is responsible for evaluating suspected concussions
- How the coach, school, or league communicates with parents
- Whether written clearance is required before returning to sports
- What symptoms should be reported immediately
- How academic accommodations will be handled if recovery affects schoolwork
Parents should tell the coach or athletic staff about a prior concussion, migraine history, learning difficulties, sleep problems, or mental health concerns. These factors do not automatically prevent participation, but they may affect monitoring and recovery planning.
New York school coaches, physical education teachers, nurses, and certified athletic trainers are required to complete concussion-management training every two years. Families should still ask questions, because policies may differ among school teams, community leagues, and recreational programs.
How can athletes recognize a possible concussion?
Symptoms may begin immediately or appear later. An athlete may not lose consciousness, vomit, or show an obvious external injury. A concussion should still be considered after a significant impact when there are changes in physical, thinking, emotional, or sleep-related function.
Possible symptoms include:
- Headache or pressure in the head
- Dizziness, balance problems, or clumsiness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Blurred or double vision
- Feeling slowed down, foggy, confused, or unusually tired
- Trouble concentrating or remembering
- Irritability, sadness, nervousness, or unusual behavior
- Sleeping more or less than usual
An athlete who may have a concussion should be removed from play immediately and should not return the same day. Continuing to play can expose the brain to another injury before recovery has occurred.
Emergency evaluation is needed for worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, increasing confusion, unusual agitation, weakness or numbness, slurred speech, unequal pupils, loss of consciousness, or difficulty waking the person. These signs can indicate a more serious brain injury.
Why is reporting symptoms so important?
Many athletes hide symptoms because they fear losing playing time, disappointing teammates, or appearing less committed. Parents and coaches can reduce this pressure by making clear that reporting a possible concussion is expected and responsible.
A useful team rule is simple: if an athlete, teammate, parent, coach, or official suspects a concussion, the athlete comes out of play. The decision should not depend on whether the athlete “looks fine” or insists on continuing.
A short sideline screening cannot reliably rule out a concussion. Evaluation should be performed by a healthcare professional trained to assess head injuries. Chiropractic care may have a role in addressing certain musculoskeletal complaints after appropriate concussion evaluation, but spinal manipulation or treatment for neck soreness should not replace assessment of a possible brain injury.
What does a safe return to sports involve?
Returning to sports is a gradual process, not a single clearance event. The athlete should first return to regular daily activities and schoolwork as tolerated. Once symptoms are resolved or nearly resolved and medical guidance permits, activity typically progresses from light exercise to sport-specific movement, then to noncontact training, full practice, and finally competition.
Each stage should be separated by at least a day when possible, with monitoring for returning symptoms. If headache, dizziness, nausea, concentration problems, or unusual fatigue reappear, the athlete should stop and step back to the previous level after further recovery.
An athlete should never use pain medication to mask symptoms and continue playing. Feeling better during a brief period does not necessarily mean the brain is ready for contact or competition.
What overlooked factors can raise risk?
Fatigue, dehydration, wet playing surfaces, poor lighting, unsafe field conditions, and rushing back after illness or injury can make sports less safe. Seasonal conditions may also matter for local households: winter ice, early darkness, slick pavement, and indoor crowding can increase fall or collision risk during recreational activity.
Good sleep, regular hydration, appropriate conditioning, visible playing areas, and properly maintained equipment support safer participation. Families should also consider whether an athlete is playing multiple sports or attending frequent practices without enough recovery time.
Prevention works best as a shared responsibility. Athletes, parents, coaches, officials, schools, and healthcare professionals each contribute by reducing dangerous contact, recognizing symptoms early, and keeping injured players out until recovery is complete.
