Sports-Related Concussion Policies and Procedures
Due to the increase in research on head injuries and sports-related concussion over the past 2 decades, the most current definition of sport related concussion is:
“Sport-related concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a direct blow to the head, neck or body resulting in an impulsive force being transmitted to the brain that occurs in sports and exercise-related activities. This initiates a neurotransmitter and metabolic cascade, with possible axonal injury, blood flow change and inflammation affecting the brain. Symptoms and signs may present immediately, or evolve over minutes or hours, and commonly resolve within days, but may be prolonged.”1
With the ever-changing emerging data on sports-related concussions, the State of NJ, the NJ Department of Education, the NJSIAA, as well as the South River School District has implemented laws and policies to protect the student athlete from further or irreparable injury in the event of a sports-related concussion. These policies all coincide with the NJ Statute detailed below.
18A:40-41.4 Removal of student-athlete from competition, practice; return.
4. A student who participates in an interscholastic sports program, intramural sports program, or cheerleading program and who sustains or is suspected of having sustained a concussion or other head injury while engaged in a competition or practice shall be immediately removed from the competition or practice. A student-athlete or cheerleader who is removed from competition or practice shall not participate in further sports or cheerleading activity until:
a. the student-athlete or cheerleader is evaluated by a physician or other licensed healthcare provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussions, and receives written clearance from a physician trained in the evaluation and management of concussions to return to competition or practice; and
b. the student-athlete or cheerleader returns to regular school activities and is no longer experiencing symptoms of the injury when conducting those activities.
The return of a student-athlete or cheerleader to competition or practice shall be in accordance with the graduated, six-step "Return to Play Progression" recommendations and any subsequent changes or other updates to those recommendations as developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
L.2010, c.94, s.4; amended 2011, c.168, s.3; 2017, c.105, s.2; 2021, c.222, s.3.
In addition, all new high school athletes, whether a freshman or upper classman that is participating for the first time, will take a baseline concussion test. The athlete will repeat and update the test every two years. It is an app-based test from your own personal phone. The student athletes will take the test with the athletic trainer at the beginning of their respective sports season once tryouts have been completed.
The South River School District uses the SWAY Medical app. The first and only mobile application FDA cleared as an assessment aid for concussion. The baseline test provides personalized data on how the individual’s brain works during balance, cognitive and functional tasks when the brain is in a health state. Then we can compare the data to a posttest after an injury. However, this is only one tool in our toolbox of assessments, diagnosis is not decided on using just this tool.
Please review and read the following presentation and fact sheet
| Sports-Related Concussions | Sports-Related Concussion/Head Injury Fact Sheet |
1Jon S Patricios, et al., “Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport–Amsterdam”, October 2022