Sports Medicine Program

What is a concussion? 

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that changes the way the brain normally works.

What are the signs and symptoms of a concussion?

Signs and symptoms of a concussion can show up right after the injury or may not appear or be noticed until days or week after the injury. If an athlete reports one or more symptom of concussion after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body, they should be kept out of play the day of the injury and until a health care professional, experienced in evaluating for a concussion, says they are symptom-free and it's OK to return to play

SCH Return to Learn & Play policy (in partnership with Chop)

Return to Learn
Please keep the student home without access to screens for 24-48 hours. The SCH divisional administrator and your student’s advisor will initiate concussion protocol and inform their teachers.

Our SCH administrator will contact you to discuss academic support during concussion protocol. Your student should not worry about missing tests or assignments at this time. While your student will receive an individualized support plan tailored to their doctor recommendations, you may refer to our general guidelines until you are contacted by your division administrator.  

Return to Play
Before returning to any type of physical activity, your student will need to be symptom free and able to tolerate a full day of school and homework without reproducing symptoms. The return to play progression is a gradual increase in exercise intensity, which will assess the student’s level of healing. Exercising taxes the brain’s blood supply which causes it to work harder in order to function properly. They will then need to be cleared by the doctor to begin a gradual return to physical activity. Our athletic trainers will monitor this stage and check your student’s symptoms before and after each level of activity. 

Day 1: Light aerobic activity, such as a light stationary bike ride
Day 2: Hard aerobic activity, such as a 30-minute interval bike workout
Day 3: Full body workout, weight room activities or bodyweight exercises
Day 4: Non-contact practice and conditioning exercises
Day 5: Full contact practice If a student suffers concussion symptoms during any of the steps of the return to play progression that step is discontinued and tried the next day, pending resolution of symptoms.
Your student cannot progress to the next stage unless your student remains asymptomatic. Each stage will be customized to fit your student’s current level of physical activity including PE, independent activities, or athletics. After this final stage, your doctor will need to give your child final clearance to fully participate in games/meets/matches. 

NOTE: the "Parent Student Concussion Information Form" is provided to SCH student-athlete families in our secure mySCH portal and requested to be complete prior to participating in athletics. 

What is a sudden cardiac arrest?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart stops abruptly, without warning.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act is a law intended to keep student-athletes safe while practicing or playing. The requirements of the Act 59 are:

• Any student-athlete who has signs or symptoms of SCA must be removed from play. The symptoms can happen before, during or after activity. Play includes all athletic activity.
• Before returning to play, the athlete must be evaluated. Clearance to return to play must be in writing. The evaluation must be performed by a licensed physician, certified registered nurse practitioner or cardiologist (heart doctor). The licensed physician or certified registered nurse practitioner may consult any other licensed or certified medical professional. 

NOTE: the "Parent Student Sudden Cardiac Arrest Information Form" is provided to SCH student-athlete families in our secure mySCH portal and requested to be complete prior to participating in athletics. 

The Sports Medicine Staff will coordinate and administer the SWAY exam. This cognitive, physical, and functional test is to ensure the safety of all SCH athletes participating on a team. We use the SWAY program as it will provide us with the best available means of managing concussions and preventing potential brain damage that can occur with multiple concussions. 
 
Middle school athletes (grades 6-8) are encouraged to complete a SWAY test, especially if they participate in a collision sport. MS parents should reach out to nwingate@sch.org for more information.  All upper school athletes, returning and new (grades 9-12), must complete an SWAY test, which will be retested every year to ensure validity.
 
The SWAY neurocognitive assessment that incorporates balance, memory, and impulse control is delivered via a cell phone using the app. This can then be removed from their personal phone.  This is currently being utilized by many professional, collegiate, and high school sports programs throughout the country. The test is a proven tool that assists physicians/trained medical professionals with the management of concussions. This test has the benefit of on-field assessments, symptom scales,  and can pair with our EMR system. This test along with acute management (recognition of symptoms), post-injury management (cognitive and physical accommodations/progressions), and the determination of asymptomatic symptoms, ensures a safe return to sport after a concussion.
   
Athletes will take a baseline exam at the start of the season before beginning any sports practice or competition. If a concussion is suspected during the season, the athlete will be required to retake the test. A licensed medical professional, PCP, or neurologist familiar with SWAY will evaluate both the baseline test and the post-injury test data. Through this process, our healthcare professionals will determine when a return to play is appropriate and safe for the injured athlete. You will be promptly notified if your child sustains an injury of this nature.