OHSAA focuses on head injuries

Ohio prep sports’ new regulations set more stringent return-to-play guidelines for athletes.

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By Michael Cooper, Staff Writer Updated 12:28 AM Sunday, June 27, 2010

SPRINGFIELD — The Ohio High School Athletic Association is taking a stand on head injuries.

At its Board of Directors Meeting on May 13, the OHSAA adopted new language that will be added to the 2010-11 OHSAA Handbook under General Sports Regulations. The addition will also be included in preseason sports manuals for coaches and officials.

The new language reads as follows:

“Any athlete who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion (such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion or balance problems) shall be immediately removed from the contest and shall not return to play until cleared with written authorization by an appropriate health care professional.

“In Ohio, an ‘appropriate health care professional’ shall be a physician, as authorized under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4731, and includes both doctors of medicine (M.D.) and doctors of osteopathy (D.O.), and an athletic trainer, licensed under Ohio Revised Code 4755.”

The language follows changes set by the National Federation of State High School Associations in October 2009.

“We’ve taken some action to make (return-to-play guidelines) a little more stringent,” said OHSAA associate commissioner Deborah Moore.

The rule means any athlete who shows concussion-like symptoms will be “done for the day and you can’t return for the training, practice or game without written medical authorization,” Moore said.

The OHSAA is also requiring coaches, athletes, officials and parents to take a free 20-minute online course from the NFHS entitled Concussions in Sport — What You Need to Know. The course, available now for free at NFHSlearn.com, will be given at mandatory preseason meetings.

Moore said many parents aren’t aware of the symptoms of a concussion. She said the regulations will allow for “a safer environment for our participants and that’s part of our mission.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports-related brain injuries occur each year.

Moore said the OHSAA has provided information on concussions for a long time, but they’ve worked hard to push concussion safety to the forefront in recent months.

“It’s not new for us,” Moore said. “We’ve been doing it for a long time. We’re really refocusing our efforts.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0365 or mcooper@coxohio.com.

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