Minimising The Risk
- Good Country Physio
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
“They only nudged my shoulder”
“My head didn’t even touch the ground”
“It was just a small knock to the head”
All of these scenarios, when paired with any concussion symptoms, give reason to suspect a concussion.
A reminder of why every suspected concussion should be taken seriously
Short-Term Risks of Concussion
Increased risk of further concussion and other injuries if returning to play too early.
Prolonged or persisting symptoms.
Severe brain swelling (rare but possible in younger players). The risk increases if a second concussion is sustained before full recovery.
Depression and anxiety.
Short-term effects on cognition, memory, and balance.
Recurrent concussion is associated with a higher incidence of loss of consciousness, longer symptom recovery times, and delayed return to play.
All of the above risks are increased if a player returns to sport before they have fully recovered.
Long-Term Consequences
Head trauma—whether from a single concussion, repeated concussions, or repetitive non-concussive head impacts—is associated with an increased risk of long-term brain degeneration and poorer cognitive function later in life.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a condition involving motor, psychological, and cognitive symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease. It describes a pattern of brain changes identified at autopsy in people exposed to repeated head trauma, including many former AFL players (Gallo et al., 2020; McAllister & McCrea, 2017).
Repeated concussion has been associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life (Gardner & Yaffe, 2015).
A history of repetitive brain trauma and CTE is considered a risk factor for suicidality among former athletes (Iverson, 2015).
So, how can we minimise the risk of concussion in sport?
The AFL has recently released a freely available program called Prep-to-Play. Developed by researchers at La Trobe University, the program aims to reduce the risk of concussion, ACL injuries, and other lower and upper limb injuries in community-level Australian Football.
The program includes:
Warm-up routines
Movement and contact skills training
Education
Strength and conditioning
It has been proven effective in women and girls, with principles that apply equally to men and boys.
All players—regardless of age, sex/gender, sport, or competition level—should use exercise-based injury prevention programs such as Prep-to-Play to reduce injury risk. Similar programs have also been shown to be effective in:
Australian Football: Footy First
Soccer: Perform+
Rugby: Activate
Decreasing the risks associated with concussion can involve improving strength and agility, and encouraging coaches to teach their players how to position their body in a way that minimises the risk of head contact and concussion.
Some specific drills involving safe technique and execution include:
Coaching the Ball Carrier being tackled
Coaching the tackler
Ground Balls
Aerial Contests
Coaches can access the AFL Tackle Curriculum for more drill ideas.
You can find out more and access these resources via this link: https://play.afl/coach/resources/prep-play#article-2
Remember, training for safe execution of skills will not only enhance the quality of the game, but most importantly, minimise the risk of concussion and other injuries.
Train skillfully. Train safely. Play safer.
References used:
Gardner, R. C., & Yaffe, K. (2015). Epidemiology of mild traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 66(Pt B), 75–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcn.2015.03.001
Gallo, V., Motley, K., Kemp, S. P. T., Mian, S., Patel, T., James, L., Pearce, N., & McElvenny, D. (2020). Concussion and long-term cognitive impairment among professional or elite sport-persons: A systematic review. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 91(5), 455–468. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2019-321170
Iverson, G. L. (2015). Suicide and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 28(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.15070179
McAllister, T. W., & McCrea, M. (2017). Long-term cognitive and neuropsychiatric consequences of repetitive concussion and head-impact exposure. Journal of Athletic Training, 52(3), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-52.1.14
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