Adopted March 2015
Our perspective. Cranford Lacrosse is very serious about age-appropriate play and protecting our players from all injuries, and we are particularly attentive to the very real dangers and consequences of traumatic brain injury, what we commonly call concussions.
What a concussion is
A concussion is a brain injury. Concussions are caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or even a blow to another part of the body with the force transmitted to the head. Even what appears to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious.
Concussions range from mild to severe, and no loss of consciousness is required to sustain one. You cannot see a concussion. It is not a bruise to the brain, and it typically does not appear on CAT scans or MRIs. The signs and symptoms may appear right after an injury, or may take several hours or even days to fully appear. For this reason, the cooperation and understanding of a player's parents or guardians is critical.
If your child reports any symptoms of concussion, or if you notice the symptoms or signs yourself, seek medical attention right away.
Symptoms may include one or more of the following
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Balance problems or dizziness
- Double vision or changes in vision
- Sensitivity to light, sound or noise
- Feeling of sluggishness or fogginess
- Difficulty with concentration, short-term memory, or confusion
- Irritability or agitation
- Depression or anxiety
- Sleep disturbance
Signs observed by teammates, parents and coaches
- Appears dazed, stunned or disoriented
- Forgets plays or shows short-term memory difficulties, such as being unsure of the game, score or opponent
- Has difficulty with balance or coordination
- Answers questions slowly or inaccurately
- Loses consciousness
- Shows behavior or personality changes
- Is unable to recall events before or after the hit
Our guide. USA Lacrosse, the national governing body for youth lacrosse, is leading the way on concussion awareness and prevention in youth lacrosse and has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC, with leading experts in medicine and sports, has compiled concussion resources for youth sports programs, parents and players. Cranford Lacrosse strongly recommends that all parents and guardians, along with their child, get familiar with this information.
Our commitment. Cranford Lacrosse is committed to educating its coaches, parents and players about the seriousness of concussions. All of our coaches are provided information on preventing, recognizing and responding to a concussion.
If a concussion occurs
Recognizing the signs of a concussion and treating it properly requires the cooperation of the parents, the player, the family's medical provider and the coach, so that the best information and decisions are made for that player's safety.
For any player believed to have sustained a concussion, no matter how severe, the coach removes that player from participation and seeks medical attention.
When in doubt, sit the player out.
- No player may return to game play or practice on the same day as a sustained concussion. Any player suspected of having a concussion should be evaluated by an appropriate licensed health care professional that day.
- No player who the coaches believe has sustained a concussion, whether by showing signs of one or having taken a blow to the head, returns to the field for practice or a game without express written medical authorization from the child's appropriate licensed health care provider, stating specifically that the child is cleared to participate in youth sports and in particular lacrosse.
- After a player has been cleared and written authorization has been given to the coach, the player is gradually returned to play. The coach monitors the player to see that they remain symptom free through non-contact work such as conditioning and running drills, then line drills, shooting drills and passing drills. If symptoms arise during a day of activity, activity stops immediately, the player returns to rest, and a gradual reintroduction may begin the following day.
- No player returning from a concussion, after proper written authorization has been given to the coach, plays in a game until they have taken part in a minimum of two practices.
Appropriate licensed health care provider means a physician, physician assistant, osteopath or athletic trainer licensed by the New Jersey Board of Medicine; a neuropsychologist licensed by the Board of Psychology; or a nurse practitioner licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Nursing. Return to play means participating in a non-medically supervised practice or athletic competition.
More resources
To help protect our players' most important asset, their brains, we ask all parents to spend time with the CDC's HEADS UP concussion materials for youth sports.