The introduction of concussion spotters to the Girls’s World Cup  — Concussion Alliance

By Nancy Cullen. This text was initially revealed within the 8/24/23 version of our Concussion Replace e-newsletter; please contemplate subscribing.

Whereas the Girls’s World Cup has simply ended, there was a brand new introduction to the state of play for the event: concussion spotters. An article by Daniel Walker in The Dialog explains that concussion spotters are licensed athletic trainers not tied to any particular crew––on this World Cup, the concussion spotters labored remotely. Their function is to determine potential concussions which have gone unnoticed by officers. They’ve the ability to cease the sport with a medical time-out, which happens when there may be both apparent visible proof of a disoriented participant or when a participant makes an attempt to remain in a recreation and would in any other case not obtain correct medical consideration. Concussion spotters will search for frequent indicators and signs seen proper after a concussion, similar to stability issues (dizziness), confusion, and vomiting; solely in uncommon circumstances (10%) do concussion accidents result in a lack of consciousness. In fact, typically there aren’t any signs instantly after damage, however these are the sorts of signs concussion spotters search for specifically.

The NFL first had concussion spotters; they’ve had concussion spotters since 2012, and a 2019 report confirmed that having spotters improved the detection of concussions in gamers. This enchancment is especially necessary for the Girls’s World Cup as there may be proof that concussions are worse for girls. Analysis has discovered concussions to be almost twice as likely for women soccer players than males, to not point out that men were more likely than ladies to be instantly faraway from the sport. On high of that, women often report more symptoms than males, and it will possibly even take women longer to recover from a concussion. Concussion spotters are an important first step to bettering concussion protocol in soccer and, notably, in ladies’s soccer.