Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA produce a series of training videos that they describe as online courses. Script and the quiz contained in the video are also available for downloading.

The course on “Concussion in Youth Sports” only takes about 30 minutes to complete and can be studied in shorter chunks, allowing you to return to where you left off. It is aimed at coaches, parents and others helping to keep athletes safe from concussion.

The aim of the course is to help:

Understand what concussion is and the potential consequences of this type of head injury.

Recognise the symptoms and signs of concussion and how to respond.

Learn about steps for returning to activity (play and school) after concussion

Focus on prevention and preparedness to help keep athletes safe season-to season.

To help ensure the health and safety of young athletes, CDC developed the Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports initiative to offer information about concussions to coaches, parents, and athletes involved in youth sports. The Heads Up initiative provides important information on preventing, recognizing, and responding to a concussion.

SHORT TRAINING VIDEO ON CONCUSSION FOR COACHES

COUNTRY : USA

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Fortunately, the bones of the skull offer considerable protection to the brain, but a fractured skull will result in the brain becoming vulnerable to damage due to penetration of a bone fragment into the brain itself or due to increased pressure within the skull caused by bleeding leading to clot (haematoma) formation.

Infection may also be a problem as micro-organisms may gain access to the tissues surrounding the brain from the outside environment or from the patient’s own bacterial flora eg from a fracture communicating with the nose. This is why, if a fracture of the skull is suspected, it should be treated as a medical emergency until full assessment has been completed.

However there is a much commoner type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that does not involve damage to the skull. It is known as “concussion” due to a bump, or jolt to the head or body that causes the brain to move or twist within the skull.

It is generally considered to be one of the “milder” types of brain injury becuae it is usually not life-threatening, nevertheless it can sometimes have serious consequences and knowing about when to suspect concussion and what to do about it is important for people in all walks of life. It should be part of general first aid knowledge.

CDC, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, has produced information on concussion and mild traumatic brain injury.

There is a short video demonstrating movement of the skull during a mild injury.  Other sections progressively deal with the signs and symptoms of concussion, what to do if concussion occurs, how to help feel better after concussion, how to help prevent concussion and other forms of TBI.

SHORT VIDEO DEMONSTRATING BRAIN MOVEMENT

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF CONCUSSION

WHAT TO DO IF CONCUSSION OCCURS

WHAT TO DO TO HELP FEEL BETTER AFTER CONCUSSION

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP PREVENT CONCUSSION AND OTHER FORMS OF TBI

COUNTRY : USA

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Sport is healthy but it can be dangerous too, and one of the biggest worries is head injury. Is it a superficial injury or has the brain been damaged in some way i.e has some type of traumatic brain injury been sustained?

The Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention in the USA has provided some useful information with particular regard to a head injury occurring during winter sports. It particularly focuses on concussion, a type of traumatic brain injury due to a jolt or blow to the head or body that causes the brain to move rapidly in the skull.

If you are a coach, you can download a wallet card, a clipboard sticker, a guide for coaches, and a symptom poster.

WALLET CARD

CLIPBOARD STICKER

GUIDE FOR COACHES

SYMPTOM POSTER

COUNTRY : USA

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About a year ago there was some news that exposing babies to the chlorinated water of indoor swimming pools might precipitate asthma.

ASTHMA WARNING FOR SWIMMING BABES

There is now some news that elite swimmers show evidence of lung damage and this is being put down to exposure to swimming pool chlorine.

POOL CHLORINE TIED TO LUNG DAMAGE IN ELITE SWIMMERS

COUNTRIES : FRANCE AND CANADA

Competitive swimmers who train at indoor chlorinated swimming pools may have lung changes similar to those seen in people with mild asthma, a new study has found.

Researchers from France and Canada compared lung tissue and breathing tests from twenty-three elite Canadian swimmers, whose average age was 21, to ten mild asthmatics and 10 healthy, non-allergic people of the same age. Tissue samples and tests were taken during the off-season when swimmers were not competing.

The full article is published in The Journal of Allergy and clinical Immunology – Abstract available – paywall for access to whole paper:

AIRWAY REMODELING AND INFLAMMATION IN COMPETETIVE SWIMMERS TRAINING IN INDOOR CHLORINATED SWIMMING POOLS

Conclusion
Intense, long-term swimming training in indoor chlorinated swimming pools is associated with airway changes similar to those seen in mild asthma, but with higher mucin expression. These changes were independent from airway hyperresponsiveness. The long-term physiological and clinical consequences of these changes remain to be clarified.

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