"My last knock to the head against Richmond in the NAB Cup wasn't too bad actually. I was dazed for a little bit and it was a pretty heavy knock, but when I came to I felt alright,” Adams explained to kangaroos.com.au.
Although he felt ready to rejoin the action and had passed all medical tests, Adams was prevented from taking any further part in the NAB Cup match.
"It wasn't too bad in terms of being aware of everything around me. Once I was able to get back to the bench, take a couple of deep breaths and relax a bit, everything was pretty much back to normal. I was basically right to go apart from a bit of a headache."
During a candid interview, the talented young midfielder was more than happy to provide a behind the scenes account of the processes in place for players suspected of being concussed.
"I got knocked out against West Coast a couple of years ago and that was a fairly big hit. It took a little longer to recover from and I ended up missing the next week. That felt more like a longer lasting headache and I was really sluggish during the week. I struggled to get going and it's more about the motor skills and trying to get going again. Luckily I haven't had any long term effects and I've been able to keep going with my football," he explained.
In recent years concussions in sport have been highlighted frequently. In America, the NFL is investigating a link between repeated football head trauma and degenerative cognitive function. The league is now undertaking studies to determine just what preventative steps it can take to minimise the damage to the brain.
At the beginning of 2011, the AFL was also proactive and introduced a new concussion rule stating once a player was diagnosed with a concussion, they would be unable to return to the field of play.
"I think everything about the rule should be left in the doctor's hands really. The player might think he's right to go back on, but the doctor is the expert in that area and he won't put you back on if he thinks there's a risk so there's no point fighting it," Adams said.
The man in charge of such incidents at North Melbourne is club doctor Andy McMahon who says concussions may place nerves in the brain at risk.
"The force is transmitted to the nerves in the brain and this affects the function of those nerves. The trauma to the nerve in the brain causes it to act in a different way,” McMahon explained.
"If you have a concussion, you're more at risk of another injury. Because you don't have control of yourself at 100 per cent the way that you have to be in an elite sporting environment - you may be at an increased risk of another injury to any part of the body.
"Also, the belief is that if you suffer another head injury shortly after the initial knock, you're more at risk of long-term problems and that's the grey area we're in now."
This is why set processes are crucial in assessing just how severe a hit to the head is. Adams explained the routine from his point of view after being taken from the ground in the Richmond game.
"I got taken to the change rooms and then the doctor goes through all his tests. As a part of these he asks a few questions about the game to make sure I'm not suffering from any memory loss. Every couple of hours I'll get checked on to make sure I'm not suffering any serious symptoms and they are extremely diligent in the way they monitor me throughout the rest of the day and into the next week."
Doctors use a stringent test called the S.C.A.T 2 (Sport Concussion Assessment Tool) to assess the player and it helps eliminate any doubt about whether they’re capable of playing on.
"If you have a player where it is uncertain; they may have had a very short period of stumbling or some other sign that there is a head injury, then that's when you remove them from the field of play for further assessment.
"Once again, using the S.C.A.T 2 and asking questions, you determine whether or not they have a concussion. It's quite common for a player to be okay to return to the field because the head injury had a short-term affect."
"The AFL has been tremendously forward-thinking with their work on concussions and their initiative deserves to be applauded."
Adams hopes his days of being assisted from the field are over but unless he changes the way he plays, his track record suggests it may just be wishful thinking.
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