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Concussion Protocol changes?
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I think Bogle has pulled out of races on account of not being recovered from a prior concussion, and JS7 in 2016 after the A1 crash, anyone else come to mind recently?
I once had a rider in another country that had hit his face/head into the face of a jump so hard that he had all these blown-out blood vessels in his eyes…the doctor at the ER understood why I wanted a specialist/neurologist or someone with real expertise in these situations to “decide” if/when he should fly home.
This shit is scary; but, we’re slowly starting to figure some of it out.
The NFL concussion protocol has undergone a few changes in its long history. I tried to find out how many diagnosed concussions there were and it looks like 224 in 2019 to give some context to other organizations who have concussion protocols that get used. (I believe that includes preseason practice).
https://racerxonline.com/2021/12/15/exhaust-podcast-concussions-in-moto…
The Shop
That said, brain injury is notoriously difficut to diagnose (moreso with a patient intentionally avoiding diagnosis) and a determined athlete can probably pass many diagnostic protocols.
Until medical technology advances, I think all you are going to ultimately have in most sports is what we currently have: a good faith effort to weed out the guys who are obviously struggling with basic balance/cognition and expectations that athletes self-assess their readiness in other cases. Maybe throw in some athlete education on long-term outcomes so they can make better decisions, especially in cases where there is little to gain by pushing their recovery timelines.
I'm sure the people being paid to make sure the riders are okay and race-ready, as well as the people being paid to make the rules and protocols, know more than people on Vital about what's best.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.amasup…
Here's the 2022 CBA for the NFL where it specifically addresses a few key "no-go" signs: (https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/NFLPA/CBA2020/NFL-…)
2. Game Day Symptoms/Return to Play
a. “No-Go” Signs and Symptoms. If a player exhibits or reports any of
the following signs or symptoms of concussion, he must be removed
immediately from the field of play and transported to the locker room.
If a neutral sideline observer or a member of the player’s club’s medical
team observes a player exhibit or receives a report that a player has
experienced any of the following signs or symptoms, the player shall be
considered to have suffered a concussion and may not return to
participation (practice or play) on the same day under any
circumstances:
i. Loss of Consciousness (including Impact Seizure and/or “fencing posture”)
ii. Gross Motor Instability (GMI), identified in the judgment of
the club medical staff in consultation with the Sideline UNC,
who observe the player’s behavior, have access to the player’s
relevant history and are able to rule out an orthopedic cause for
any observed instability
iii. Confusion
iv. Amnesia
I asked the Original question because the guys that have hit their head pretty good lately have been going down repeatedly after it.. Sexton and RJ mainly.
Pit Row
I think the A* crew is taking this topic very seriously and doing a lot more than many people realize. I don't think we have enough information about the rider simply after seeing a crash to armchair any decisions on if they are doing enough or not to address concussions.
This episode is specifically about helmets, and evidence based rehab and testing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QMbHVDh6FU&ab_channel=CompleteConcussi…
Helmets have come a long ways since my racing days atleast.
From the outside looking in I would also say it appears that there is a lot of pressure placed on these assessments due to the nature of an individual sport. With something like Rugby they can be more liberal in applying these stand-downs as you can easily swap a player, but in moto you will ruin a guys season with even 1 missed round let alone 2. You can bet that teams, managers, and riders will say and do whatever they have to in order to line up asap. Something needs to change.
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