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 | | Remember - A concussion is a brain injury!!
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) maintains a web site for information about concussions. All of this material is downloadable.
Free CDC Tool Kit on Concussion for High School Coaches!
Concussions can happen to any athlete—male or female—in any sport. Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by a blow or jolt to the head that can range from mild to severe and can disrupt the way the brain normally works. More than 300,000 people sustain sports- and recreation-related TBIs every year in this country. Coaches, athletic directors and trainers play a key role in helping to prevent concussion and in managing it properly if it occurs.
To reduce the number of this type of injury, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the support of partners and experts in the field, has developed a tool kit for coaches titled, Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports. This kit contains practical, easy-to-use information including a video and DVD featuring a young athlete disabled by concussion, a guide, wallet card and clip board sticker for coaches, posters, fact sheets for parents and athletes in English and Spanish, and a CD-ROM with downloadable kit materials and additional concussion-related resources.
Order a free copy
To order a free copy of this tool kit, click here.
View and download kit materials
(PDFs require Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Please email your questions and comments to dardinfo@cdc.gov with the subject line “Concussion Tool Kit.”
If you think your athlete has sustained a concussion…
don’t assess it yourself.
Take him/her out of play, and
seek the advice of a health care professional.
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| | | Rugby practices and games are conducted in very hot and humid weather in many parts of the United States. While summer is the prime season for heat-related injuries, be aware that such injuries can occur even in relatively mild weather; something as simple as dehydration is a heat-related injury. Players can suffer from dehydration or heatstroke, leading to removal from the game, hospitalization, and even death. But if the proper precautions are taken, none of this should occur. While heat-related illnesses and injuries don't happen often, everyone needs to take adequate precautions to avoid it and then respond correctly when it happens. All coaches and parents should read the link below. Please read the PDF file or search the internet on heat stress and athletic participation. | |
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| | USA Rugby Position Statement on MRSA
CDC - Overview of Healthcare-associated MRSA
MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, are staphylococci that are resistant to the antibiotic, methicillin, and other commonly used antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporins. These germs have a unique gene that causes them to be unaffected by all but the highest concentrations of these antibiotics. Therefore, alternate antibiotics must be used to treat persons infected with MRSA. Vancomycin has been the most effective and reliable drug in these cases, but is used intravenously and is not effective for treatment of MRSA when taken by mouth.
Why is MRSA dangerous?
This infection can be minor (such as pimples, boils, and other skin conditions) or serious and sometimes fatal (such as blood infections or pneumonia). If untreated, MRSA can spread from the initial infection site, traveling up the limbs to the torso, and could cause damage to the tissues requiring surgery to remove the infected tissues (eg, muscle).
For information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about MRSA, click here. | |
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| | | The EPRU maintains a good web page of safety-related information. Rather than duplicate it, we point you to it. | |
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| | | Self_Management_Strategies This PDF file (click link above) discusses the following topics.
Pre-Match Preparation
Know the Opponent
Current Personal Assessment
Set Match Goals
Identify Internal and External Distractions
Getting Back on Track
Visualization | |
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| | Post_Game_Recovery_Strategies
"Recovery must be an essential part of all training programs, and must be carefully planned and programmed.". This PDF file (click link above) discusses post-game recovery strategies such as:
Fatigue in a Rugby Game
Physiological fatigue
Neural fatigue
Tissue damage
The Power of Rituals
Developing the Recover Ritual
Physiological strategies
Neural strategies
Tissue recovery strategies
Psychological strategies
Elements of the Recovery Ritual
The Cool Dow
Post Game Nutrition
Hydrotherapy
Self Massage
Cryotherapy
Disengagement
Relaxation | |
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