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Hockey + Health 30 // AUGUST 2019 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED New Concussion Policy Requires A Team Effort To Return A Player To Action Join USA Hockey and the Concussion Legacy Foundation for Team Up, Speak Up Week, Oct. 21-25. To sign up and learn more go to TeamUpSpeakUp.org O ver the years the medical commu- nity has gained a greater under- standing of concussions and how to manage their impact on young athletes. Yet for all that is known, there is still a long way to go. While USA Hockey continues to be on the forefront when it comes to concussion prevention, manage- ment and return-to-play protocol, the organization will take another step forward with the implementation of the Concussion Management Program. Once the puck drops on the 2019-20 sea- son, any athlete held out for concussion evaluation, or who has been diagnosed with a concussion, must provide a written Return to Play form from a qualified medical provid- er allowing them to return to any training, practice or game activity with no restrictions. In addition, a parent of the player and the coach must sign the form acknowledging that they received it. "The awareness and recognition of con- cussions has grown by parents, coaches and players," said Kevin Margarucci, USA Hockey 's manager of player safety. "The mantra, ' When in doubt, sit them out' is a guiding principle that has taken hold in our sport and something we will continue to reinforce. This new policy simply takes it to another level." T h e c h a n g e i s a i m e d a t a l i g n i n g U S A Hockey's policies with other state and local entities when it comes to a written clearance for return to play requirement and provides a standard form for use by all. T h e f o r m i s av a i l a b l e o n l i n e , a n d c a n be printed and filled out. It then must be signed by a qualified medical provider. The parent and coach must then sign the form, which will be kept by the coach or a team manager. The information will be used as p a r t o f a n i n j u r y d a t a b a s e t o d o c u m e n t concussion incidents. The question of who qualifies as a qualified medical provider is defined differently in each state statute as it pertains to concus- s i o n s. T h e n e w l y c r e a t e d p o s i t i o n of District Player Safety Coordinator will work to clear- l y i d e n t i f y t h o s e health care profes- sionals in each state who can legally clear a player to return after a concussion. Team Up, Speak Up Another new initiative through the Concussion Legacy Foundation is called Team Up, Speak Up. Its focus is to let players know it is OK to, and that they should, speak up for a teammate who may have a concussion and report it to a coach, parent, doctor or athletic trainer. "It's great to see the progress we've made," Margarucci said. "Together we will continue to affect positive change related to the overall safety of our game." P Do Helmets Reduce Concussions? GOOD NEWS: The use of helmets in sports has been shown to decrease the risk of skull fractures and protect against moderate to severe head trauma. BAD NEWS: Scientific research has not shown helmets can prevent concussions. A concussion can be caused by a strong whiplash or rotational force without a direct blow to the head or head contact. As your head moves through space, your brain also moves around inside your skull triggering a concussion, which present helmets cannot prevent. MORE BAD NEWS: In addition, the use of helmet-based sensor systems that register force or contact and can alert athletic health providers during actual play is not supported at this time. These devices should still be considered only for research purposes. CONCLUSION: A concussion-proof helmet has not yet been developed. Still, when it comes to buying a helmet, this is the one piece of equipment you do not want to economize on. When it comes to player safety, USA Hockey took another step forward by creating the Concussion Management Program, which strengthens return-to-play guidelines.