Idaho Rush SOccer Club

The board and staff at Idaho Rush recently finalized a comprehensive concussion plan that aims to provide parents and players with information about concussions, educate all of our coaches on how to recognize possible concussions, and provide on-field staff with the tools to be able to deal with concussions when they occur. We now have a written concussion policy for parents, players and coaches. The policy includes the ways we will keep our membership informed about concussions and their rights and responsibilities. We have also created a written protocol for coaches to follow when they suspect a player may have suffered a concussion.

Diagnosing concussions relies partially on recognizing changes in a player’s cognitive ability (i.e. memory, etc.). But to notice the changes, we have to have an idea of the player’s cognitive ability before the possible concussion happened. To establish this “baseline” we strong encourage players to have baseline testing done by experienced medical professionals:

To make an appointment with the STARS Sports Medicine Unit of St. Alphonsus Medical Center, call 208-367-3761. Teams can also make group arrangements. The cost is $20 per player. Baseline testing is recommended for players 10 years of age and older. The tests are recommended yearly for kids 10-14, then every other year for players once they get to high school.

The issue of concussions in sports has received a lot of attention in the press in the past year, and rightfully so. Concussions can have serious long-term affects on players and the sports world is fortunately moving away from its previous casual attitude toward them. While it unreasonable to think we can completely eliminate concussions from a contact sport such as soccer, we can be better at identifying concussions when they happen and getting proper treatment for them immediately. Toward that end, we've put together this primer on concussions for our players, coaches and parents. If you think we've missed something, let us know.

From the Centers for Disease Control: "A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works. Concussions can also occur from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Even a “ding,” “getting your bell rung,” or what seems to be mild bump or blow to the head can be serious. Concussions can occur in any sport or recreation activity.