The Marlton Recreation Council is looking to further enhance how it handles head injuries with a new recommendation to parents this year.
The rec council is recommending all athletes ages 10 and older receive concussion baseline testing prior to the start of the spring sports season in March.
Barry Fitzgerald, public relations director for the rec council, said the recommendation was made with the athletes’ health in mind.
“We’re concerned for the safety of our children,” Fitzgerald said. “Head injuries are a big problem nowadays,”
The rec council is taking an approach many school districts in New Jersey already have had on concussions. Some districts, including the Lenape Regional High School District, have concussion policies requiring athletes to receive a baseline concussion test prior to the start of the season. If an athlete sustains a head injury during the season, he or she can take the test again and have the results compared to the pre-injury test. This can help determine the severity of an athlete’s head injury and how doctors should move forward with treatment.
Fitzgerald noted the rec council is not requiring all athletes to get a baseline test. However it is encouraging everyone to do so.
“It’s up to the parents,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re offering it to the parents if they want to do it.”
To get the word out to the community, the sports commissioners worked with their individual leagues to inform parents.
“We reached out to the commissioners for each sport,” Fitzgerald said. “Each of the different (medical) providers came in and explained what they are offering.”
The council is working with three providers for this initiative. Virtua, Rothman Institute and M&M Physical Therapy are all offering baseline concussion testing services to Marlton youth athletes.
Families who wish to take advantage of the baseline testing can visit any of the three preferred providers.
“They have the choice who they want to go to,” Fitzgerald.
The recreation council has put emphasis on concussion treatment in recent years. The council has a concussion training policy requiring all commissioners, coordinators, coaches, instructors and trainers are mandated to complete a council-approved concussion awareness-training course before they can begin work in their respective leagues.
Fitzgerald said the council also has a very strict policy on when athletes can return to the field after sustaining a concussion. The council’s policy states if a child sustains a head injury during a practice or game, the child should be removed from the field immediately. In addition, the child cannot return to practice or games without first receiving a written note from a qualified physician. The child must also observe a minimum rest period of 24 hours before returning to the field.
“Any type of head injury, the child has to stop playing until we get the OK,” Fitzgerald said.
Parents can contact the respective league commissioners for more information on baseline testing. Information on the council’s concussion policies is also available at www.marltonreccouncil.org.
