Stellenbosch University
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Taking concussion injuries seriously
Author: Wilma Stassen
Published: 26/09/2017

Concussion injuries in sport are common, and a new unit at Stellenbosch University will focus on addressing this problem through research and treatment.

An Advanced Concussion Unit will soon be launched at Stellenbosch University to track, treat and study concussion among Maties, as well as the wider community.

“Concussion is a common sports injury, particularly among rugby players, and it is important that it is managed properly," says Prof Wayne Derman, Director of the Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine (ISEM) at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. “The first step is to recognise concussion, and then to remove the person from playing sport until he or she is rehabilitated. It is imperative that they don't go back to playing sports too early."

Concussion is a mild type of brain injury that is commonly associated with contact sports such as rugby, boxing or hockey. It occurs when a blow to the head or body causes the brain to shake inside the skull, and can affect cognitive functions such as vision, balance and speech, and cause other physical and psychological symptoms.

Annually between 250 and 300 cases of concussion are reported to SU's Campus Health Services.

Derman and Dr Pierre Viviers, Director of SU's Campus Health Services, recently spent time at Seattle Sea Hawks, an American football club in the USA, to learn about their advanced concussion programme in order to apply this knowledge to the new unit at Maties.

This new facility will serve as both a treatment and research centre, built on interdisciplinary collaboration between various university partners, to ensure that patients recover physically, mentally and psychologically before returning to sport.

“The psychological impact of concussion is an important aspect. Patients can suffer from a range of mood abnormalities like irritability, anxiety or depression. Therefore, the unit will perform physical as well as cognitive and psychological assessments to ensure all functions are fully restored before players return to the field.

“Athletes that go back too early are susceptible to further injury. Their threshold for concussion is lower, which puts them at risk for a secondary concussion. A recent study showed that they are also prone to knee and other musculoskeletal injuries," warns Derman.

ISEM is working with several research partners on a number of concussion-related projects. For example, in collaboration with SU's Department of Sport Science, they are developing an application (app) that will be used to recognise concussion by tracking abnormal eye movement; and with SU's Division of Physiotherapy, they are looking at balance retraining after concussion.

“A lot is known about concussion in professional rugby, but there is a gap in knowledge about concussion in community-level rugby, and that is what we hope to study at SU's Advanced Concussion Unit," Derman concludes.

Caption: Dr Pierre Viviers and Prof Wayne Derman on a recent visit to the advanced concussion facility at the American football club, Seattle Sea Hawks.