Players and management must know concussions symptoms

The GAA teamed up with brain injury specialists Acquired Brain Injury Ireland last year to back their Mind Your Head campaign; educating players about the signs and symptoms of Concussion

Tyrone-based Dr Liz O’Hanlon is the secretary of the Gaelic Games Doctors Association (GGDA). Having seen her fair share of concussions over the years through her work with GAA teams as well as in other sporting codes and individual cases, she is firm in her belief that greater education and awareness about the signs and symptoms of concussion among the wider GAA community is a necessary step in understanding the condition.

“Awareness of the signs and symptoms of concussion is what we really need to achieve. Awareness not just amongst players, but amongst managers and coaches, teachers and parents, and the long-term effects of recurring concussion.”

Dr O’Hanlon believes that although many of us are aware of concussion and to some extent what it involves, its seriousness can often be underestimated. For that reason, proper medical guidance should be sought when a player attempts   to return to play, with caution being urged throughout.

“Each case has to be assessed on an individual basis, but you will usually find that there is a longer recovery time from recurrent concussion. It’s the same with one single severe concussion as it would be from multiple small concussions.

“If your symptoms come back at any stage of your return, then you have to step back to the previous stage in your training. But it is certainly recognised that the more concussions you have, the longer it takes to recover from it each time.”

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday July 26. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here