Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- Garrett Covington went after a loose ball, just as the Indiana native has done most of his career. This time, an IUPUI player impeded his path, probably with a shoulder.
Covington, a 6-foot-5 sophomore wing, banged his head into the opponent's shoulder and the Youngstown State University player's head snapped sideways during a game on Feb. 14.
Covington thought he was fine, waving off an official and YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun when they asked him how he felt.
The Penguin sophomore made his way toward the other side of the floor on the next play. There was a glazed look in Covington's eyes as he collapsed to the floor.
"It went on for a possession after that and I was like, 'Whoa,'" Covington said.
His mother, Deborah, and YSU men's basketball trainer, Todd Burkey, had to fill in the gaps where Garrett didn't remember.
He sat in the training room below the Beeghly Center playing surface. His parents and Burkey were attending to Covington after the game.
Burkey asked him a battery of questions. Eventually, Covington snapped back to reality about a half-hour after the incident.
The day after, he had a big headache, and for the next few days was in a fog. Fluorescent lights bothered him.
A headache, especially a lingering one, is something that needs more attention.
"If they continue for long periods of time, it's something that should be looked in for a little bit more," Burkey said.
Covington was in concussion protocol, going through baseline testing. He was asked a series of questions related to any concussion headaches for about a half-hour. He was shown words and was asked to recall them later. The same is done with colors, all to test cognitive function.
Then there's balance testing with a double-leg stand with his eyes open and closed, one foot in front of another. It's followed by the same with a single-leg stand.
Burkey keeps watching to see if Covington is unstable with his balance.
On Feb. 18, he started shooting drills, with still no contact at this point. He was gradually introduced into practice, just running open plays without any contact.
Finally, he was put into practice, but there were more cognitive and balance tests done on the YSU sophomore.
Burkey kept a watchful eye on him the entire way, consulting with team doctor James Shina, who assessed Covington as well.
Trouble listening to coaches, looking confused or hazed, those are signs the concussion is lingering.
"One of the side effects of concussion is you can experience fatigue quickly," Burkey said. "If he's going through simple drills and he gets fatigued quickly, that would alarm me or at least alert me. Whether he's having trouble balancing.
"Dribbling is a fairly skilled thing. If he's having difficulty dribbling, that's a sign he's not ready to return. If we're doing agility drills and he can't change direction how he normally does, that's a sign for me."
Burkey said concussions can happen from falling on your bottom. It's not just a blow to the head.
"Your brain is floating in fluid," Burkey said. "There's nothing that's holding it stable. Any time there is any blow to the head or the body, that brain is moving in that fluid. An injury happens when the brain contacts the inside of the skull. That's where the injury happens.
"When they get an impact to the head, it's not going directly into the brain. It's the brain smashing up inside the skull. That's where the bleeding and swelling occurs. That's why you can have a non-head contact injury and still have a concussion because the force would shake your head."
Parents should look to see if their child has a change in behavior. Are they moving properly? Are they dizzy, especially after intense athletic activity? Complaints of increased headache or blurred vision?
Sometimes, signs can show up a day or two later.
"Everybody gets headaches from time to time, but if you associate that with a large impact in a game then you have to monitor those other kind of things," Burkey said.
See a physician. Have them evaluate what's going on. Follow concussion protocol.
"Take your time," Covington said. "It's a process. You're not going to feel better overnight. Do whatever your doctors recommend. Whatever your body is telling you, do it. If you don't feel right, tell someone. You have to let somebody know because this isn't anything to mess with."
On Thursday, Covington, YSU's best defender, played again.