CDC Offers Free Concussion Kit for Coaches, Teens

SUNDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Every year, more than 300,000 sports- and recreation-linked traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, occur in the United States.

Now, experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are offering a multimedia "toolkit" aimed at helping high school coaches, trainers, and parents prevent, recognize and manage concussions among teen athletes.

The CDC initiative, called "Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports," includes a video and DVD featuring a high school football player who was permanently disabled after he suffered two concussions in a single game. He stresses that it''s better to miss one game, or even an entire season, to help recover from a concussion rather than risking your life or future health.

The kit also includes:

• A coach''s guide with information on how to prevent and manage concussions and how to implement a concussion action plan.
• A wallet card and clipboard sticker for coaches that outline concussion signs and symptoms and provide emergency contacts.
• Posters targeting athletes. The posters can be placed in high school locker rooms or other areas of the school or community.
• English and Spanish fact sheets for parents and athletes.
• A CD-ROM with downloadable kit materials and other concussion-related resources.

"Concussions can happen to any athlete, male or female, in any sport, and they should never be ignored," CDC Injury Center Director Dr. Ileana Arias said in a prepared statement. "It''s not smart to play injured. This toolkit will provide coaches and parents with a common-sense approach to help raise awareness and prevent sports-related concussions among athletes."

More information

You can order and download the concussion kit from this CDC Web site.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, Sept. 22, 2005

Last Updated: Oct. 10, 2005