Guild Continues Concussion Protocol Efforts

With Edgar Prado's smashed helmet serving as a powerful reminder, the Jockeys' Guild listened to a talk on concussions at its annual assembly Monday, Jan. 19, in Hollywood, Fla. 

While Prado suffered a cut along his forehead when he fell and was stepped on at the curren Gulfstream Park meet, his helmet helped prevent serious injury. Celebrating its 75th year, the Guild's two-day assembly continues Jan. 20, when it will address safety equipment and helmet issues. 

While Prado avoided concussion and serious injury, other riders are not as fortunate. The Guild is working to improve awareness and improve the safety net for riders who suffer head injuries.

In late 2013 the Jockey Club funded baseline testing for all riders who participate in the Jockey Health Information System. At last year's assembly the Guild outlined the testing, which determines reaction times and cognitive function when healthy to use as a measuring tool should a rider later suffer a possible concussion.

In the first year, 50 riders signed up. The Jockey Club and the Guild would like to increase those numbers in 2015. To emphasize the importance of participation, the Guild welcomed Monday Dr. Mark Lovell, founder of the University of Pittsburgh Sports Concussion Program and chairman of ImPACT Applications, which developed the baseline test.

Lovell emphasized that one of the biggest dangers with concussions is suffering a second concussion before the first concussion is fully healed. Lovell said riders who participate in baseline testing provide doctors with an added tool in evaluating the injury to determine if a concussion occurred. 

"The worst thing you can do is have a second concussion when recovering from the first one," Lovell said.

He said any rider who suffers a blow to the head needs to consult with a doctor to develop a recovery plan.

"Athletes are not the best people to ask about their symptoms. Even if they're trying to be honest, they all love to get back on the field," Lovell said. "It's a challenge with professional athletes because athletes that get paid for participating will miss out on income when they're sitting out. But my concern has to be with long-term health."

Guild in-house counsel Mindy Coleman and Michelle Penna of Jockey Club subsidiary InCompass Solutions have been working to increase the number of riders who take the 30-minute test that determines baseline function. Coleman said misconceptions about the test have hurt participation.

"A lot of riders at the tracks have been hesitant to sign up. They think it's a test or something that's going to prevent them from riding at that time," Coleman said. "It's the very first step of managing concussions. It gives a baseline so that if you do have an injury, they can go back and test. We're not rating people."

Coleman said the Guild also is working to make sure that each track has someone provide initial testing when a rider suffers a blow to the head. She spoke of one rider who competed a day after injury when he couldn't recall the previous day's events and another who did not recall being knocked unconscious until medical personnel from at the scene informed him what had happened.

Lovell encouraged riders to sign up for baseline testing and take every precaution when they suffer a head injury. He said an initial concussion could cost them some days of riding but that riding while still recovering from a concussion carries long-term risk should a second injury occur. He said such situations have been linked to more problems, longer recovery times, and even the long-term brain disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

"Our goal is to get you back competing as soon as you can," Lovell said of going through the proper protocol before injury, immediately afterward, and in returning to riding. "Good management results in better long-term outcomes."