Monday's concussion day: you can't pad the truth

Thousands of Australians will get concussed playing sport this weekend and it will go mostly undiagnosed, untreated and unreported, the head of Brain Injury Australia, Nick Rushworth, says.

He said 3000 people a year were taken to hospital after being concussed playing sport. But this was the tip of the iceberg.

"Up to triple that number won't seek medical attention and as many as 10 times that number won't even report their concussion to teammates, coaches or family because they fear being removed from play," Mr Rushworth said.

Even among those who went to hospital because they "felt funny" or were suffering persistent headaches, most would not necessarily tie the problems to a head injury on the playing field.

Mr Rushworth, who has prepared a policy paper for the federal government on concussion in rugby league, rugby union and Australian football, said figures for concussions that did not result in hospitalisation were inexact and based on US data.

But the problem was large, ignorance widespread, and the risks serious, he said.

"Returning to sport before the brain has recovered puts the player at risk of long-term brain damage," he said.

However, the policy of a three-week exclusion period for concussed players, now abandoned by the international rugby code, was probably counter-productive, he said.

"There was good evidence it discouraged disclosure," Mr Rushworth said. What was needed was for concussed players to be removed from the field and individually assessed by a doctor familiar with concussion. The only treatment was rest, with the period determined by the doctor.

He said the further away from the elite level - in amateur and junior ranks - the more lax was the concussion management regime.

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Monday's concussion day: you can't pad the truth