Concussion fears spark school sports campaign

The risks of concussion from school sports are vastly underestimated, ranging from disrupted or impaired education to serious and sometimes even fatal consequences, according to a leading surgeon.

Dr Willie Stewart, consultant neuropathologist at Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, has helped launch a Scottish campaign with the potentially life-saving message: “If in doubt, sit them out.”

The campaign follows the death of Benjamin Robinson, who died at the age of 14 after sustaining double concussion during a school rugby match in Northern Ireland in 2011. His parents have been raising awareness of the dangers throughout the UK.

Although deaths from this so-called second impact syndrome (SIS) are very rare, it can affect brain function in various ways and the second blow could follow the first by several weeks.