University of North Georgia (UNG) alumna Kristen Lagasse designed an educational program about concussions and presented it to a Dahlonega-area girls' soccer team to keep them and other female soccer players from suffering from the injury.
The 2018 nursing graduate experienced multiple concussions as a student-athlete. In soccer, concussions can be caused by player-to-player contact, player-to-ground contact, and player-to-ball contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"I got a bad concussion and it ended my career," the 22-year-old from Roswell, Georgia, said. "It really opened my eyes to how bad concussions could be."
To keep this from happening to other females, Lagasse designed an educational program and presented it to a Dahlonega-area girls' soccer team.
"They need to learn how to prevent them, and, if not prevent them, recognize the signs, get treated and recover properly," Lagasse said.
Lagasse presented the program to a team of 11- and 12-year-old girls because their susceptibility to concussions increases at that age since using your head becomes a prominent element of the game at that level.
"And I thought they'd be on an intellectual level to understand what I was showing them," she said, pointing out the girls mentioned a teammate had endured a concussion. "They were talking about their experiences … and wanted to learn more."
Lagasse had a personal story to share, too. She said her concussions have left her with recurring headaches, chronic neck pain and poor eyesight.
"I used to have 20-20 vision," Lagasse said, pointing out she now wears glasses. "I still have trouble sleeping and I am still working to resolve that."
But Lagasse also has the educational training about concussions. She took two certified courses from the CDC about concussions along with researching the topic.
"I found that women soccer players get more concussions than men do," she said.
Keeping that in mind, Lagasse developed three exercises to help female soccer players recognize concussions and unsafe play. Then she had the girls practice them. They included:
- Using the safe technique for heading the ball with the correct body positioning
- Falling safely to the ground and protecting their head to prevent head-to-ground contact
- Playing a small-sided game and stopping play when a concussion-hazardous situation arose and explaining how to prevent injury
She also stressed to the girls the importance of recuperating after a concussion. Many times soccer players return to the soccer field before their bodies are ready.
"A lot of times people are not allowing themselves to recover as long as they need to," Lagasse said.
The difficulty stems from a lack of physical signs of healing. For example, a bruise changes color as it heals. A concussion does not, requiring the athlete to determine their own health status. If they return to early, it can lead to future problems.
"If you don't take time to recover, then you are more susceptible to concussions," Lagasse said.
She said it is difficult to take time off the field, because student-athletes are competitive and want to play. She believes her personal story affected the soccer players and drove home the point.
"I think they got the message," she said. "They were responding to what I was saying…and it ended up being a real rewarding experience."
For more information about concussions, visit the CDC's website on concussions.
