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Updated August 20, 2014.
As of January 2014, legislators in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, have passed some version of the Zackery Lystedt Law. That means kids who play youth and school sports may now receive better care if they sustain a sports concussion. The laws vary from state to state. But generally, they require that athletes be removed from play or practice if a concussion is suspected, and only return after they've been cleared by a medical professional.
They also require that coaches, youth athletes, and parents learn about the signs and symptoms of concussion.
Who Is Zackery Lystedt?
Zackery was 13 when he was hurt during a middle school football game in 2006. After receiving a blow to the head, he returned to play prematurely, and then collapsed. His brain was bleeding and swelling. "He was on life support for seven days; he couldn’t speak for nine months; after 13 months, he could move his left arm a little; it took two years to get rid of the feeding tube and four years before he could move his right leg purposefully," Zackery's father, Victor Lystedt, told Seattle magazine. Today Zackery attends community college and still puts in many hours of therapy every week to further his recovery.
Three years after Zackery's injury, his family successfully lobbied for the first Lystedt law in their home state of Washington. "Concussions were always viewed as something you had to tough it out, suck it up,” the law's sponsor, state representative Jay Rodne, told USA Football.
"Coaches were in a difficult position where they suspected something might be wrong but they wanted to keep the player in, and the player wanted to go back in. Now, the law takes that decision out of the coach’s hand and gives it to medical professionals."
What Does the Lystedt Law Do?
In Washington, the Lystedt Law requires that youth athletes (players 17 and under) who are suspected of having sustained a concussion be removed from practice or a game immediately, and not allowed to return until they've been evaluated and cleared by a medical professional. The law also requires athletes, parents and coaches to be educated each year about the dangers of concussion.
The number of concussions reported by coaches in Seattle public high schools has more than doubled since the Zackery Lystedt Law came into effect in 2009, University of Washington researchers reported in May 2014. Their work was published in the Journal of Athletic Training.
On January 30, 2014, the state of Mississippi passed its own Lystedt law, becoming the 50th state to do so. The exact provisions of the law vary from state to state. For example, they might or might not:
- include school sports only, or both school and youth sports
- specify that the medical professional that clears an athlete be a medical doctor
- state that parents must be notified of any suspected or diagnosed injury
- require concussion-specific training for coaches
- address liability for health professionals, school districts, volunteers, coaches, etc.
To find out more about the law in your state, use this interactive map.
Source:
Bompadre V, Jinjuji TM, et al. The State Lystedt Law and Concussion Documentation in the Seattle Public High Schools. Journal of Athletic Training, in press, August 2014.
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