Concussions: Be safe and follow protocol
By Trevor Medigovich • Daily Ben staff writer
Posted April 27, 2023
Concussions are one of the most unpredictable sports-related injuries an athlete can encounter while competing. Per the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, between 1.7 million and 3 million sport/recreation-related concussions occur every year, around 300,000 of which are connected to football.
What are concussions?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that “a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.” When athletes receive a concussion, some symptoms they may face are nausea, “pressure” in their head, a feeling of sluggishness, confusion, and even mood or behavior changes after receiving a blow to the head.
How can an athlete receive a concussion?
Some examples of sports-related concussions include: football players colliding helmets with other players or falling to the ground after a tackle; basketball players receiving concussions by falling and hitting their heads on the court; and volleyball players receiving a traumatic brain injury by getting hit in the head by a ball. Concussions can and will happen in sports; however, most schools and universities have a concussion protocol so athletes have the best chance of recovering and continuing to compete.
Concussion protocol
Like other universities, Benedictine has a step by step plan included within the athletic staff handbook that outlines the process athletes need to take so they are cleared to play again. Before a new athlete even touches the court, they need to complete an ImPACT test to act as a baseline so the athletic trainers are able to compare their neurocognitive state once a concussion occurs.
Now if an athlete receives an injury while they are playing in either a practice or game:
- Step one is to remove the athlete from the playing field and conduct a thorough physical, neurological and cognitive examination, called a SCAT5 assessment on the scene.
- In the days following, step two is to begin daily symptom checks from a member of the athletic training staff.
- As soon as the athlete is asymptomatic, they will have to take a post injury ImPACT test.
- If the athlete scores equal to or better than their previous baseline test score, they may begin the Return to Play Protocol.
Return to Play Protocol (RTP)
The Return to Play Protocol allows the athlete to slowly begin training again; however, they must be conscious and aware of how they are feeling because as soon as symptoms begin to return, they must start the whole process over again. The five phases of the RTP include:
- The athlete’s activity will slowly be increased to full practicing.
- Each day, the athlete has to complete a phase without a return or increase in symptoms to advance to the next phase.
- If the symptoms increase or return, the athlete will be withheld from all activity until they are asymptomatic again, restarting the protocol.
- After completing a full intensity practice symptom free, the athlete will return to full play status.
- Finally, an ImPACT test must be administered by the athletic training staff in order to complete the Return to Play Protocol.
Managing schoolwork
Even though the athlete received a traumatic injury while playing their sport, they are still students first. Concussions can affect a student-athlete’s academic performance. Benedictine states that the student and the athletic training staff should reach out to professors about the student’s current condition, so they may receive an extension on coursework during their recovery.
Concussions are extremely common within the world of sports. The process of rehabilitation is never the same for anyone, so to have a set plan that outlines a smooth recovery for the student-athlete is crucial in the safety and well-being of the student, as well as ensuring successful athletic and academic performances.
Trevor Medigovich is a communications major at Benedictine University at Mesa. He is also a member of the men’s volleyball team at BenU. Contact him at trevor_medigovich@ben.edu.
Showing appreciation for BenU athletic trainers
By Trevor Medigovich • Daily Ben staff writer
Posted March 23, 2023
The National Athletic Trainers’ Association has coined the month of March as National Athletic Training Month in order to spread awareness about the important work of athletic trainers. The profession is very important to the care and well being of all athletes not only at the professional level but at all stages of competitive sports; however, many people look down upon and question the necessity of AT’s on site.
In 2015, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association conducted a study where they found that just 37% of public secondary schools in the United States had employed a full-time certified athletic trainer for their student-athletes. Surprisingly, Arizona is among the best, with 84% of secondary schools having access to an AT at all times during athletic events.
Injuries that occur to young athletes during sporting events are very common, so why shouldn’t these student-athletes receive the proper level of treatment and rehabilitation in order for them to continue to play the sport that they are passionate about.
Unfortunately, there have been some instances where an athlete has collapsed and did not receive the proper care that they needed from on-site personnel. According to 2 News Oklahoma, in 2015, Ben Hamm, a high school junior at Wesleyan Christian School in Bartlesville had died because he had sustained a head injury during a routine tackle and collapsed on the field. At the time, the school did not have access to an AT, so the district superintendent immediately put new measures in to ensure that this tragic event would not happen again. He immediately hired an athletic trainer for the school.
More recently, on Jan. 2, 2023, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin had collapsed on the field after completing a tackle and had begun to suffer from cardiac arrest. However, almost instantly the Bills’ trainer, Denny Kellington, had sprung into action and immediately began CPR on Hamlin and had restored his heartbeat before a defibrillator was used on the player. Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center via ambulance in critical condition, but had been released from the intensive care unit in just a week and had been discharged completely on Jan. 11.
Denny Kellington has been with the Bills for just over five seasons, following a long career of athletic training at Syracuse University and has been working with athletes since the late ’90s. After saving Hamlin’s life, Kellington has been praised by all of the players, coaches, and NFL executives with his brave and outstanding gesture, and had also received an official fifth place vote for NFL MVP last season.
The vote was cast by ESPN’s Suzy Kolber, who said that it was a “symbolic gesture representing ‘everyone’ who carries the weight of that job, every week. They rarely get the recognition they deserve.”
Per the National Library of Medicine, student-athletes who had experienced an exercise-related sudden cardiac arrest had a survival rate of 83% when an athletic trainer was on-site at the time of the event and 85% if an AED was used.
There is no doubt that athletic trainers are a valuable asset to any team, professional or amateur, and studies have been shown that they are a key part in preventing and controlling athletic-based injuries.
Benedictine University Mesa is grateful to have our wonderful trainers Brandie Peterson and Brianna Saltzman, who work extremely hard to make sure that our athletes are safe, prepared and ready to compete. So if you ever see them around campus (usually at the training room at Higher Ed) tell them thank you and appreciate them during National Athletic Training Month.
Trevor Medigovich is a communications major at Benedictine University at Mesa. He is also a member of the men’s volleyball team at BenU. Contact him at trevor_medigovich@ben.edu.
The search for a new president continues
Posted March 2, 2023
By Damaryan Benton • Daily Ben staff writer
Charles Gregory was named Benedictine’s president on Jan. 8, 2019, and is the 12th president in the institution’s 135-year history, but he is retiring at the end of the year. Benedictine University campuses in Lisle and Mesa are in the process of hiring a new president. The student body, staff, professors, and other groups are all involved in this choice. A university president represents the guiding principles and values upheld by the same institution.
The select number of professors in the interview process have met 20-plus candidates. Professor Tony Cella seeks advocates for Benedictine University Mesa. One of Cella’s focuses has been pushing candidates who support the implementation of a sports facility on campus for student-athletes.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president, Belle Somoza, sheds light on student leader involvement. Club presidents participated in a video conference with the
university officials. She explains the students shared what they hope to see in a new university president and changes moving forward.
For more information on outgoing President Charlie Gregory, visit the Benedictine University leadership page at https://ben.edu/about/leadership/.
Damaryan Benton is a communications major at Benedictine University at Mesa
and a Benedictine men’s volleyball team member. Contact him at
damaryan_benton@ben.edu.
Class scarcity issue facing small religious universities
Posted Jan. 24, 2023
By Damaryan Benton • Daily Ben staff writer
“You will not be able to graduate if you don’t take this class.” An academic adviser said this statement to a student-athlete unable to enroll in a course that would delay graduation.
Student athletes at small religious universities struggle to prioritize a sports scholarship and
academics when class selection lacks variety. Courtney Ely, a women’s volleyball team player at Benedictine University Mesa, expresses her concerns about the situation.
She has to enroll in consecutive classes that take a mental toll. However, her attempt to switch courses is unsuccessful. Additional class start times are increasingly difficult to find. This reality is a cushion for these universities and leaves students in unprecedented situations. It ponders whether teacher shortages in post-secondary education should be a determinant of expected graduation dates.
Head coaches are understanding of student athletes’ class situations. Athletes are allowed to leave early from practices when there are time conflicts. In response to the issue, teams are modifying their practice start times to accommodate their players’ class schedules, coaches say. Transparency is a constant theme across the athletic and academic departments.
If you need academic advising, please schedule a meeting with your adviser using this link:
https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/BenedictineUniversityMesa@ben.edu/bookings.
Damaryan Benton is a communications major at Benedictine University at Mesa
and a member of the Benedictine men’s volleyball team. Contact him at
damaryan_benton@ben.edu.
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