Children with suspected concussions ‘should be kept off field for two weeks’

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Children with a suspected concussion should be kept off the sporting field for at least two weeks under new advice from leading medical and sporting bodies.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) released a joint recommendation on concussions in sport highlighting the need for precautions to be taken particularly when it comes to children.

Both bodies said that when it came to concussions, “if in doubt, sit them out”, and that when a potential concussion was suspected, children and teenagers should stay off the sporting field entirely for at least two weeks.

The AMA and AIS released the recommendations on a new government-funded website, Concussion in Sport, which provides online resources to help identify key symptoms of sports-related concussions.

“Sports-related concussion is a type of brain injury that is not always obvious, and symptoms may change over time,” AMA president Professor Brian Owler said.

“The message is this – if in doubt, sit them out. Missing a couple of weeks of playing won’t kill them, but letting someone with a brain injury back on to the field – even just the training field – can be disastrous.

“In most instances, with correct medical diagnosis and treatment, concussion symptoms resolve within seven to 10 days. In the case of children and adolescents, they should follow a return to play protocol and not return to contact training or play for at least 14 days after their symptoms have cleared.”

The recommendation comes as sporting codes around Australia and the world are grappling with how to deal with concussion and brain injuries.

Last week, Lui Polimeni, 16, died in hospital after he collapsed following a tackle in an under-16s rugby league match in Gundagai in southern New South Wales.