More athletic trainers mean faster concussion evaluations

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - As high school athletes across Wisconsin return to competition this fall, research involving thousands of student-athletes is highlighting the role access to athletic trainers can play in concussion care.

A UW-Madison study involving 2,459 athletes across 31 Wisconsin high schools found significant differences in how quickly athletes received concussion evaluations depending on the availability of an athletic trainer.

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Athletes at schools with greater athletic trainer availability were evaluated in less than an hour on average, while athletes at schools with limited availability waited an average of 24 hours.

Lucas Johnston, CEO of Headquarters Health, said quickly evaluating a suspected concussion is important not only for diagnosing the injury, but also for determining whether an athlete may need more immediate medical attention.

“It's really critical to get that evaluation as soon as possible after injury to triage whether or not it's something serious that needs to be sent to, you know, the emergency room or the hospital,” Johnston said.

Athletic trainers serving Northeast Wisconsin schools

Emplify Health by Bellin provides athletic trainers to schools throughout northeast Wisconsin.

Ethan Natzke, an outreach athletic trainer with Emplify Health by Bellin serving Bay Port High School and Lombardi Middle School, said having an athletic trainer at every athletic event would be ideal, but staffing and cost can make that difficult.

“In an ideal world, we'd have an athletic trainer on every sideline of every game,” Natzke said. “But we understand that there aren't that many athletic trainers out there. We're a small number.”

When a concussion is suspected, Natzke said an athlete is first removed from competition. Athletic trainers can then evaluate symptoms and test areas including memory, balance, and vision.

Natzke said that access can be especially important because symptoms are not always immediately obvious after an injury.

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“We've also seen the effects of untreated and mistreated concussion evaluations,” Natzke said. “So it's important to have someone who's trained in concussion management on your sideline if you can.”

Differences continue during return to play

The UW-Madison research also found athletic trainer availability was associated with whether athletes completed a return-to-play protocol following a concussion.

Only 50% of athletes at schools with low athletic trainer availability underwent a return-to-play protocol, compared with 94% at schools with mid-level availability and 100% at schools with high availability.

Return-to-play protocols gradually increase an athlete's physical activity following a concussion rather than immediately sending them back into competition.

Natzke said Emplify Health by Bellin uses a six-phase return-to-play protocol. Athletes can progress through the phases as their recovery allows, eventually returning to full practice and competition.

“All concussions are serious,” Natzke said. “It's your brain. It's a brain injury. It's a big deal.”

Telehealth can help fill gaps in access

For schools and athletes without immediate access to an athletic trainer or concussion specialist, telehealth is another option.

Headquarters Health works with schools to virtually connect student-athletes with clinicians specializing in concussion care. Johnston said the service is intended to supplement athletic trainers rather than replace them.

“In our setting, it's really aimed to supplement and extend the reach of existing athletic trainers,” Johnston said.

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Johnston said Headquarters Health can connect Wisconsin student-athletes with concussion specialists virtually within 48 hours through coverage available under the WIAA Student-Athlete Concussion Insurance Program.

The program provides concussion insurance coverage for student-athletes participating in WIAA-recognized sports at member schools.

For athletes, Natzke said one of the most important things they can do is tell someone when they experience symptoms following a hit.

“Biggest message that we have for athletes is they only get one brain,” Natzke said. “There's not a whole lot we can do to fix it. So we need to get it the proper care and rest that it needs.”

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