The Concussion Research Group at MCRI aims to:
- Redefine child and adolescent concussion treatment by examining the most effective ways to speed up and support recovery
- Understand how young people recover from concussion
- Identify biomarkers (brain imaging, blood proteins) or risk factors for slow concussion recovery
- Improve parent and community access to evidence-based concussion management.
Impacts of our research
- The HeadCheck app was developed in collaboration with the AFL by our research group to help translate our research in an accessible and useable format to give concussion sufferers, as well as parents, trainers, coaches and teachers, information to recognise concussion and manage recovery.
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Developed a clinical treatment for child and adolescent concussion that is currently being examined in a randomised-controlled trial. The treatment involves an individualised program provided by trained physiotherapists, psychologists, and neuropsychologist, depending on a child’s symptom profile. The outcomes of this trial will contribute to the existing body of evidence regarding child and adolescent concussion treatment, and improve the resources and treatment approaches available within the community.
- Contributed to the development of child and adolescent recommendations as part of the Concussion in Sports Group International Consensus Statement, as well as evidence-based tools to assist in the detection and assessment of concussion (e.g., Child Sports Concussion Assessment Tool and the Child Sports Concussion Office Assessment Tool).
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Discovered a blood protein that could help detect which children will experience ongoing concussion symptoms more than two weeks after an injury.
Recent Publications
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Concussion Podcast
Neuropsychologist Professor Vicki Anderson from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute helps you understand the impacts of a concussion in your children, and explains the differences in severity of hits to the head. The podcast goes into detail on what actually happens to the brain, the steps to help diagnose and manage head injuries and the advancements in future technology.
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- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI)
- MCRI Concussion Research
- MCRI Concussion A-Z
- RCH National Child Health Poll – Concussion
- What is the difference between concussion management in children as compared with adults?
- The Raising Children Network
- Consensus statement on concussion in sport
- Holland Bloorview Concussion Handbook
- UK Concussion Guidelines for Non-Elite (Grassroots) Sport
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HEADS UP Campaign
Articles
- MCRI News Story: Protein could help detect delayed concussion recovery
- MCRI News Story: New diagnostic tools and updated best practice to treat childhood concussion
- AFL Article: League still searches for clarity on concussion (afl.com.au)
- Verywell Health Article: Study: 1 in 9 Kids Develop Mental Health Issues After Concussion (verywellhealth.com)
- Herald Sun: Dangerous concussion myths harming Aussie kids
- The Canberra Times: Concussion confusion risks the health of children
- RCH Foundation: Concussion research links injury to mental health problems in children
Videos
- Channel 7 News Story: HeadCheck App
- 10 News First Melbourne: Concussion confusion
- Channel 9 Melbourne: Concussion symptoms slipping past many Aussie parents, study shows
- Channel 7 Melbourne: Concussion shock
HeadCheck Conditions of Use
HeadCheck (the App) is a concussion education and concussion recovery support tool created using the latest clinical tools and guidelines (refer to headcheck.com.au/resources-faqs for details) for use in adults and children and is not intended to be used as a medical device or to diagnose, prevent, treat, mitigate, compensate or alleviate concussion. Where concussion is suspected, the App can provide information about indicators of concussion but cannot be used to rule out the possibility of concussion. If concussion is suspected, seek medical attention from a trained health care professional who can physically examine the individual and provide appropriate medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. In the case of an emergency call 000. If symptoms worsen or you have any medical concerns seek medical help.
Information collected in the Concussion Check module of the App is de-identified. It may be accessed and used by the MCRI for research purposes in accordance with MCRI’s Privacy Policy or by the AFL in accordance with the AFL’s Privacy Policy.
Information Collected in the Recovery Module of the App (Optional) includes your personal information (name and contact details). It may be used by MCRI or the AUS-mTBI Study for research purposes in accordance with the consent you provide in the App.
Information will be stored and used in a de-identified form where possible. MCRI and the AFL will not use this data for any other purpose or share it with another third party without prior approval. For further information on how data is used and stored go to the HeadCheck FAQs or contact [email protected].
You may only use the App content for non-commercial or personal use. All other use, copying or reproduction of the App or any part of it without our prior written approval is prohibited (except to the extent permitted by law)
To indicate that you understand and accept the limitations of the App and that you are responsible for how you choose to use or act on the information the App provides, please press “Agree”.
Terms and conditions
Last updated: 12/4/18
MCRI and the AFL require that you read these terms and conditions carefully. Access to the HeadCheck application (the App) is limited to users who agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, which include our Privacy Policy (Terms). You may also be bound by terms and conditions of the App Store that makes the App available to you (see Conditions of Access and Accessible Use below).
These Terms, if agreed by you by pressing “Agree” or by accessing and/or using the App, will constitute a binding agreement between you and MCRI. You should immediately cease using the App if you do not agree to these Terms.
MCRI may, in its sole discretion, update, modify or replace all or part of these Terms at any time by posting revised Terms on and/or through the App. You are responsible for checking the About section of the App for any changes to these Terms. Your continued use of, or access to, the App following the posting of any changes to these Terms will be deemed to constitute acceptance of those changes.
In order to access and use the App, you must:
1. be at least 18 years of age;
2. possess the legal right and ability to enter into a legally binding agreement with us;
3. agree and warrant to use the App in accordance with these Terms;
MCRI may, but is not required to:
1. provide updates, changes or amendments to the App as MCRI sees fit to ensure proper operation of the App and any general enhancements that may be introduced; and
2. offer new services and features through, and in relation to, the App or the information, products or services described in it, which will be subject to these Terms.
Conditions of Access and Acceptable Use
You acknowledge and agree that the availability of the App is dependent on the third party from which you obtain the App (App Store). In addition to the Terms, each App Store may have its own terms and conditions which you agree to comply with, and your access to and use of the App is also conditional on your compliance with any such terms and conditions.
You may only use the App for non-commercial or personal use. All other use, copying or reproduction of the App or any part of it without MCRI’s prior written approval is prohibited (except to the extent permitted by law).
You must not:
1. access or use the whole or any part of the App, except as expressly authorised by these Terms, or otherwise with the prior written consent of MCRI;
2. remove or obscure any proprietary notice (including any copyright, trade mark, service mark, tagline) or other notices contained in the App;
3. circumvent any mechanisms in the App intended to limit your use of, or access to, areas within or components of the App;
4. vary, alter, modify, merge, interfere with, reverse disassemble, decompile or reverse engineer, or otherwise seek to obtain or derive the source code from, the whole or any part of the App, except as permitted by Law;
5. solicit the login information or access an account belonging to another user;
6. facilitate or encourage any violations of these Terms; or
7. use any data mining, gathering or extraction tools in connection with the App or Services, without MCRI’s prior written consent.
You must not access or use the App, or provide or transmit any data or content, in any way that:
1. violates or infringes the rights (including, without limitation, any intellectual property rights) of MCRI, AFL or third parties;
2. is unlawful, offensive, indecent, objectionable, harassing, obscene, pornographic, threatening, abusive, defamatory, libellous, fraudulent, tortious, or invasive of another’s privacy or constitutes a breach of any other of the legal rights of individuals;
3. includes personal or identifying information about another person without that person’s consent;
4. is false, misleading, or deceptive;
5. violates these Terms
6. contains viruses or any other computer code, files or programs that interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment or other property, or otherwise permit the unauthorised use of or access to a computer or computer network;
7. is detrimental to, or in violation of, MCRI’s or a third party’s systems or network security;
8. interferes with the use of the App by other users; or
9. could damage, disable or impair the servers or networks used by the App or other users.
MCRI may, at any time without prior notice, restrict, block, suspend, deactivate, disable access, edit and/or remove all or part of the App, including any material which in MCRI’s reasonable opinion may give rise to a breach, or be in violation of these Terms or any law, or which MCRI considers in its absolute discretion might be otherwise harmful.
If MCRI restricts, blocks, suspends, deactivates or disables your account as a result of your violation of these Terms or any law, you must not create another account without MCRI’s permission.
HeadCheck Does Not Provide Medical Advice
HeadCheck (the App) is an information and concussion recovery support tool for use in children aged 5 – 18 years and is not intended to be used as a medical device or to diagnose, prevent, treat, mitigate, compensate or alleviate concussion. Where concussion is suspected, the App can provide information about indicators of concussion but cannot be used to rule out the possibility of concussion.
If concussion is suspected, seek medical attention from a trained health care professional who can physically examine the individual and provide appropriate medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. In the case of an emergency call 000.
If your child has been diagnosed with concussion by a trained healthcare professional, the App can provide additional information, track concussion symptoms and provide recommended tasks based on the symptom and severity rating. If symptoms worsen or you have any medical concerns seek medical help.
Ownership and Access to the App
MCRI and the AFL owns or is licensed to use all intellectual property rights contained the App, including, without limitation, all software code and algorithms underlying the operation of the App, and all trademarks and copyrighted materials contained in the App and the Content. Subject to your compliance with, and during the term of, this Agreement, MCRI grants you a non-exclusive, personal, non-transferable, non-sub-licensable limited licence to access and use the App for your own non-commercial purposes in accordance with these Terms. Except as expressly set forth in the previous sentence, you are granted no licences or rights, whether by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, in or to the App or any intellectual property rights therein or related thereto.
Liability of MCRI and the AFL
The use of the App, and the Content is at your own risk. When using the App, information will be transmitted over a medium that is beyond the control of MCRI and the AFL. Accordingly, to the extent permitted by law including the Australian consumer law, MCRI and the AFL assume no liability for or relating to the delay, failure, interruption, or corruption of any data or other information transmitted in connection with use of the App.
The App and the Content are provided on an “as is” basis. MCRI AND THE AFL, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, INCLUDING THE AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER LAW, DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES. Without limiting the foregoing, and to the extent permitted by law including the Australian consumer law, MCRI and the AFL make no representations or warranties about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, currency, or timeliness of the Content, software, text, graphics, links, or communications provided on or through the use of the App.
In no event shall MCRI and/or the AFL be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, incidental and consequential damages, personal injury/wrongful death, lost profits, or damages resulting from lost data or business interruption) resulting from the use of or inability to use the App or the Content, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory, and whether or not MCRI or AFL is advised of the possibility of such damages. MCRI and the AFL shall be liable only to the extent of actual damages incurred by you, but such amount shall not exceed AUD $1,000.00 total. MCRI and the AFL are not liable for any personal injury, including death, caused by your use or misuse of the App or Content.
Searches and Links to Other Sites
The App may provide links to or reference third-party websites. MCRI and the AFL have no control over and are not responsible for the content of linked third-party websites, websites framed within the App or third-party websites provided as search results, and does not make any representations regarding their content or accuracy. Your use of third-party websites is at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such sites.
Indemnity
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold MCRI and the AFL, and each of its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and suppliers, harmless from and against any claims, actions or demands, liabilities and settlements including without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, arising out of or in connection with your breach of these Terms.
General
MCRI and AFL are based in Australia with principal offices in Melbourne, Victoria. If you access the App from outside Australia, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with the laws of your jurisdiction.
Termination
We may terminate these Terms at any time by providing reasonable written notice to you, for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation if you breach the Terms.
You can terminate these Terms at any time by ceasing your use of the App and deleting the App. MCRI reserves the right to delete or deactivate your account and all data provided by you or about you following termination.
Jurisdiction
You expressly agree that exclusive jurisdiction for any dispute with MCRI and/or the AFL, or in any way relating to your use of the App, resides in the courts of Victoria, Australia and you further agree and expressly consent to the exercise of personal jurisdiction in the courts of Victoria, Australia in connection with any such dispute including any claim involving MCRI or the AFL or any of its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, employees, contractors, officers, directors and telecommunication providers.
These Terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia, without respect to its conflict of laws principles. If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable by any court having competent jurisdiction, the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms, which shall remain in full force and effect. In lieu of the invalid or unenforceable provision, the parties will substitute or add as part of this Agreement a valid and enforceable provision that will be as similar as possible in economic and business objectives as was intended by the invalid or unenforceable provision. No waiver of any of these Terms shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or any other term or condition.
Notice and Takedown Procedures; and Copyright Agent
If you believe any materials accessible on or from the App infringe your copyright, you may request removal of those materials (or access thereto) from the App by contacting MCRI and providing the following information:
· Identification of the copyrighted work that you believe to be infringed. Please describe the work, and where possible include a copy or the location (e.g., URL) of an authorised version of the work.
· Identification of the material that you believe to be infringing and its location. Please describe the material, and provide us with its URL or any other pertinent information that will allow us to locate the material.
· Your name, address, telephone number and (if available) e-mail address.
· A statement that you have a good faith belief that the complained of use of the materials is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
· A statement that the information that you have supplied is accurate, and indicating that “under penalty of perjury,” you are the copyright owner or are authorised to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.
· A signature or the electronic equivalent from the copyright holder or authorised representative.
MCRI’s agent for copyright issues relating to this App is as follows:
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute The Royal Children’s Hospital, Flemington Rd Parkville, VIC, Australia 3052 Attention: MCRI Legal Email: [email protected] P: +61 (3) 8341 6200
Complete Agreement
Except as expressly provided in a particular “legal notice” in the App, these Terms and the Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and MCRI and the AFL with respect to the use of the App and Content.
Questions or comments regarding this website or the HeadCheck App, including any reports of non-functioning links, should be submitted using our email [email protected] We try to answer every email in a timely manner but due to volume may not always be able to do so.
A free, non-credit, self-paced online course on concussion has been made available by The University of Calgary and Université Laval. The course is designed for those interested in preventing, detecting and managing concussions.
The course material includes up-to-date content from the Amsterdam International Consensus Statement– the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport.
A concussion is a type of mild head injury. It is caused by a direct hit or blow to the head, neck, or body, resulting in some movement of the brain within the skull. This causes a temporary change in how the brain functions. These changes occur at a cellular level, which means structural damage cannot be seen on a clinical brain scan.
Concussion is a common injury. There are many causes of concussions including falls, recreational injuries, car accidents, or sports.
While many children and adults with concussion will notice their symptoms improve within a few days, it can take up to four weeks to recover from a concussion.
Approximately 30% of children and adults may experience symptoms for longer than 4 weeks. Early identification of concussion and appropriate management in the early stages post-injury can help to accelerate recovery. It is therefore important a suspected concussion is not ignored.
The Concussion In Sport Group (CISG) recommends multidisciplinary approaches to care, and we know from past research that children who have ongoing symptoms may benefit from clinical assistance (e.g., physiotherapy) and education about their symptoms.
There are several common symptoms caused by concussion, which often resolve quite rapidly. While some people recover quickly, others will need more time.
Physical symptoms
- Headache
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Balance problems
- Dizziness
- Visual problems (blurry, double vision)
- Sensitivity to light
- Sensitivity to noise
Cognitive symptoms
- Acts or appears mentally “foggy”
- Has difficulty concentrating
- Has difficulty remembering
- Becomes confused with directions or tasks
- Answers questions more slowly than usual
Emotional symptoms
- Irritability
- Sadness
- Nervousness
- More emotional
Sleep-related symptoms
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Sleeping more than usual
- Children and adolescents with concussion should receive treatment tailored to their specific needs, rather than using approaches designed for adults.
- The most common cause of concussion in children and adolescents is falls.
- More than 70% of children recover within four weeks.
- There is no single ‘one size fits all’ treatment for concussion in children and adolescents. Rather, treatment should be delivered by clinicians from different disciplines who work together to target an individual child’s specific symptoms (e.g., physical, cognitive, and mental health).
Contact sport is not the problem
- Community messaging regarding child concussion and its consequences is often sensationalised and not underpinned by evidence, resulting in increased child and parent anxiety regarding participating in sport and return to activity after injury.
- Physical and mental health benefits of continued sports participation are critically important in childhood development and disease prevention (e.g., obesity, diabetes, stroke).
- In children, most concussions occur outside of contact sports (e.g., falls, non-contact sports and leisure play)
- Recent research studies conducted at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) have shown that MRI shows no differences between children with a faster recovery after a concussion and children who take longer to recover.
- This research examined changes in brain microstructure123, brain activity at rest4, and patterns of blood flow in the brain5.
- The MRI techniques used in the above research are more advanced than the MRI scanners currently available in the community, making it even less likely to find differences.
- In rare circumstances, a clinical treating team may decide that an MRI is required. On these occasions, they will go over the details of the procedure with you.
- CT scans are also occasionally provided to certain patients to rule out more significant brain injuries and other complications that typically result from more severe injuries. The need for a CT is decided on a case-by-case basis by a clinical team.
References
The information collected in the Concussion Check module of the App is de-identified. It may be accessed and used by MCRI for research purposes in accordance with MCRI’s Privacy Policy or by the AFL in accordance with the AFL’s Privacy Policy.
Any information collected in the Recovery Module of the App (Optional) includes your personal information (name and contact details). It may be used by MCRI or, if you provide explicit consent in the App, the AUS-mTBI Study for research purposes in accordance with the consent you provide in the App.
You will be prompted to provide explicit consent if any research study would like to enlist your participation above the standard HeadCheck procedures through the App. For example, following the incident report, you will be asked if you would like to participate in research for the AUS-mTBI Study or continue through the standard recovery path. If you select you would like to participate in the research, you will be asked to answer some additional questions and/or answer questions at additional time points along with the standard HeadCheck procedures.
MCRI and the AFL will not use this data for any other purpose or share it with another third party without prior approval.
Any participation in research studies is voluntary, and you can withdraw from any study at any time. This will not affect your ability to access the HeadCheck concussion recovery program.
For further information on how data is used and stored, please contact [email protected].
If there are any issues with the HeadCheck app, please submit a query via our contact form here: https://www.headcheck.com.au/contact-us/