Photo credit: Horse and Hound image Andrew Sydenham for Future Publishing
The ESNZ Board has approved a new concussion 21-day stand-down policy from 1 August that is likely to be a game changer for community sport, according to the ACC. The key changes are that a concussed rider must have a minimum period of 21 days away from full competition and still need to get a medical clearance prior to returning to compete. Guidelines have recently been applied to community sport that which provide principles and general advice for the sport community and health professionals to recognise and treat concussion in a consistent way.
ESNZ’s Chief Medical Advisor Dr Graeme McCrory was included in the expert panel that ACC convened.
“The panel agreed on the return to play changes for a player who has suffered a concussion. This approach is consistent with community sport in Australia and the UK.”
In 2023, ACC accepted 10,648 claims for sports-related concussion. These injuries came at a cost of $64 million to help people recover. This was the highest number of claims and the highest cost over the past five years. From 2019 – 2023 ACC spent $266 million helping people recover from sports-related concussion. Yet, research from ACC suggests that around 1,100 concussions currently go untreated.
The highest number of sport-related concussions occur in team-based sports such as rugby, football, basketball and from cycling and equestrian activities. The highest volume of sport related concussion are in the 10–19 age category and research shows that this age group people play multiple sports.
The ESNZ Policy acknowledges that concussion knowledge is evolving, and more research is required to identify both the short and long-term consequences of this brain injury. The new policy is based on the current best practice guidelines and will be reviewed every year in line with international consensus statements.
Helpful links:
Concussion section on our Website
Newshub Story 1.4.24 on Guidelines across Community Sports