Understanding the NBA Concussion Policy
- Post By: Jeff Stotts
- Date:
- Category: NBA, Understanding...
The Golden State Warriors have blazed through the Western Conference playoffs and will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the team’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1975. However the availability of guard Klay Thompson is in doubt after he was sustained in a concussion in the team’s series clinching win over the Rockets.
The injury occurred when the knee of Houston forward Trevor Ariza struck Thompson on the right side of his head while attempting to block a shot. Thompson crumbled to the floor and was removed from the game with what was initially described as an ear laceration. After briefly heading to the locker room, Thompson was cleared to return to action only to leave once again as blood continued to trickle out of his ear. According to reports, the laceration was then stitched closed and Thompson returned to be with his teammates. The All-Star guard never checked back into the game but was on the court to celebrate the team’s Western Conference title and participate in the trophy presentation. Unfortunately as the night progressed, Thompson’s symptoms began to worsen and he began to experience dizziness before vomiting on his ride home. Further examinations, including additional tests performed by a neurologist, confirmed the rising suspicions that Thompson did indeed suffer a concussion. The Warriors have ruled him out indefinitely and placed him into the league’s mandated concussion protocol.
The team’s handling of the incident, as well as Steph Curry’s head injury in the previous game, has brought the NBA’s concussion protocol under scrutiny. However pointing fingers and hurling accusations with only part of the facts made public is unwise and the focus should instead be put on insuring Thompson gets the necessary rest and treatment to properly be cleared for the Finals.
Concussions are the hot topic in sports medicine as details regarding the danger in both the short and long term are continually being discovered. These studies have forced professional sports league’s to adopt strategic protocols on how to handle a player’s removal from a game as well as when they can be allowed to play. The NFL, rightfully so, has been one of the more active leagues to regards to concussion policies and prevention. Since 2007, the NFL has adopted and altered their concussion guidelines multiple times to make them more and more rigorous. Rule changes have implemented and the policy continues to evolve. The policy has been altered as recently as March with the addition of Resolution G-2 or “the Julian Edelman Rule.” The new rule provides the concussion spotter in the press box additional power to stop game play in order to insure a player suspected of a head injury is properly evaluated.
The occurrence rate of concussions in the NBA is significantly smaller. Since the 2005-06 season there have been a total of 159 reported concussions, including Thompson’s recent diagnosis. For comparison sake, the NFL reported 123 concussions in the 2014 season alone. However the NBA still proactively adopted a concussion policy prior to the 2011-12 season. The policy details the evaluation, management, and return to play guidelines for any player suspected of a concussion.
The first step to returning to action states the player must first be symptom-free at rest. Once the symptoms dissipate, the injured player can than sit for a neurocognitive test, most likely the ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) test. Due to the variability amongst concussed athletes, the ImPACT testing allows for each individual to be properly screened.
The test is conducted on a computer and analyzes the individual’s status through neuropsychological tests that include memory recall, immediate shape and color recognition and matching. The results are compared to a set of baseline information gathered on each athlete prior to the start of the season. Before an athlete can progress to the next step in the recovery process, their IMPACT scores must return to their initial baseline numbers. From there an athlete must remain symptom free following a progressive increase of activity, starting with riding a stationary bike and concluding with non-contact team drills.
Once the player has completed these steps, Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the Director of the NBA’s Concussion Program, will be contacted to discuss the final clearance for return to play. The time needed to complete the process varies from player to player and predicting how Thompson will react is difficult.
This season the averaged missed time for a concussion was 8.9 days and that doesn’t include the days missed by Minnesota’s Gorgui Dieng or Sacramento’s Rudy Gay who did not return to play before the conclusion of the season. The median for days missed was five. These numbers suggest Thompson should be available for Game 1. However as previously mentioned, each athlete responds differently following a head injury and it’s far from a guarantee that Thompson will be play.
The NBA Finals is slated to start on June 4, eight days after Thompson’s injury. He will spend his time resting and allowing his brain to heal. While he is a key component of Golden State’s success, title aspirations shouldn’t outweigh Thompson’s long-term health. Completion of the NBA’s concussion policy will help guide his return to play and insure Thompson is physically ready to compete for a championship.