Concussion: how do we reconcile risk-averse policies with risk-taking sports?

By @DrJohnOrchard   I have just started working in my 15th season as a professional NRL (National Rugby League, Australia) team doctor but with respect to one injury feel as uneasy as I ever have at any stage of working in sports medicine. In theory I should be more experienced and therefore more relaxed at […]

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We join the world in mourning Sarah Burke

Canadian freeskier Sarah Burke (29) died Thursday, nine days after  crashing at the bottom of the superpipe during a training run in Utah: http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/story/_/id/7466421/sarah-burke-dies-injuries-suffered-utah [1] Sarah Burke was one of the pioneers of the sport who lobbied to get the sport  on  the Olympic program. As health professionals, we need to take this on board […]

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Concussion in sport: The Consensus

Concussion is certainly hot this week! Lots of news stories of variable quality. Today we review the International Consensus statement itself. This practical resource was established, using a consensus-based approach, at the 3rd International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2008. It updates the recommendations of the 1st (Vienna) and 2nd (Prague) International Symposia on Concussion in […]

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Concussion Position Statement: Why it’s not a KO.

The American Association of Neurology has published a concussion position statement but the question is ‘Where is the reference to the international consensus’? No-one would question that neurologists know about concussion but many of them would be the first to admit they are not experts in sport. How should an athlete train when returning to […]

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