Concussion
Concussion is the most common head injury in sport and is caused by a temporary disturbance in brain function that is usually due to a hard knock to the head, which has caused the brain to bounce against the skull.
Concussion can occur following sudden violent movement of the head, such as falling and hitting your head hard against packed snow or an object, such as a rock.
Someone who is concussed may lose consciousness for a time, but not always. Here are some guidelines on how to recognise if someone is concussed and what steps to take to treat them.
Concussion Signs and Symptoms
If a skier or snowboarder has fallen and they are still conscious, assess them for any of these signs:
- Appears to be dazed or stunned
- Is confused
- Moves clumsily
- Answers questions slowly
- Loses consciousness (even temporarily)
- Shows behaviour or personality change
- Forgets events prior to impact
- Forgets events after impact.
If yes, ask them if they are experiencing any:
- Headache, nausea
- Balance problems or dizziness
- Double or fuzzy vision
- Pupils appear different in size
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Feeling sluggish, groggy or dizzy
- Ringing in the ears
- Concentration or memory problems.
If they answer “yes” to any of the above they should definitely not continue skiing or boarding and should be taken off the mountain as soon as possible.
Other useful questions to ask to ascertain the seriousness of their condition are:
- What ski area are we at?
- What approximate time of day is it?
- Are you using a day pass, season pass?
- Has the visibility been good on the slopes since you started skiing/boarding today?
Amnesia
You can also test them for anterograde amnesia, which means they forget things quickly.
Choose three words, such as “cat” “tree” “girl” “dog” “green” “house”, and ask them to repeat them now and remember them to repeat later.
Also find out if they have retrograde amnesia where they forget events before the impact or collision.
Ask them questions like:
- What do you remember just prior to the impact or collision?
- Do you remember the fall or collision?
What to do if the person is unconscious
If the skier or boarder is unconscious you should always assume there’s also been a cervical spine injury so do not move them.
Stabilise their head and neck and check their:
- Airways – remove anything blocking airway
- Breathing – is the injured person breathing? If not, start Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Seek urgent medical attention for:
- Convulsions or seizures (arms and legs jerk uncontrollably)
- Very drowsy or can’t be woken up
- Severe or worsening headache
- Vomiting more than three times
- Deterioration in level of consciousness
- Weakness in arms or legs and they are unsteady on feet
- Unequal pupil size
- Slurring speech
- Passing out or having a blackout
The concussed person should be accompanied at all times for the next 24 hours and they should definitely not go back on the slopes until they have been given the all clear by a doctor.
They should also avoid all alcohol and drugs.
