During this session, I spent 2 hours pitchside during an Argaum game. During this game, 2 players collided together and were both taken off due to a knock to the head. The first of the 2 players didn’t seem to be showing any signs of concussion or abnormalities however, the second of the two was showing signs of concussion and had to be treated accordingly. Due to this, both players were taken off as a precaution to not risk any further injuries. Both players will be assessed by a doctor to determine their injuries and whether or not they can return to play. 

The next injury included a possible ankle sprain The player went down and I went onto the pitch to assess the situation. Upon speaking to the player, they mentioned that they “rolled” their ankle and as they went down they heard a “pop” with a pain rating scale of 8/10 this injury was a suspected ankle sprain and the player was taken off the pitch and treated with alternating heat and ice. 

The final treatment of the day was a player that went down after a tackle complaining of pain in the knee, after a quick assessment on the pitch, there was nothing visibly wrong with the player, however, as they were in so much pain they were taken off the pitch and will return to the training clinic in a couple of days to be tested again.

Areas for improvement:

When taking a player off a pitch because of an injury, unless it is a head injury and they are taken off to be cautious and ensure they are okay, I have never taken a player off complaining of pain but having no visible issues wrong with them. This led me to believe that there was something wrong with them and I asked them to come into the clinic in 3 days before a training session as the pain would have reduced by then and the tests would be more reliable as when I assessed the player on pitchside, they had pain in every movement. It is important to treat every client the same just because you cannot see an issue does not mean that there is no one so you must always follow the same protocol for everyone you see. I treated this player exactly the same as I would any other player and we shall wait until they come back in 3 days to determine if they are injured or not.

Returning to reflections at a later date:

The player that was taken off as a precautionary measure was seen by the doctor and returned to play the following week showing no signs of concussion pitchside, after the game during a scat test and no signs when he went to the doctors. However, the second player that showed signs of concussion pitchside, after the game and when visiting the doctor was confirmed to have a concussion and has a minimum of 3 weeks away from the sport before getting retested and starting their return to play.
The player that came off because of a suspected ankle sprain went to A&E after the game had finished and he had sprained the ATFL ligament in the lateral side of the foot. They have been coming in for rehabilitation with one of the other therapists and are said to be improving nicely.
The player with the knee injury that was taken off came into the training clinic and was assessed by myself being overseen by my supervisor of which I could not find any noticeable issue with the player and they commented on their pain to have completely gone in the 3 days between the game and the assessment.