Concussion season coming with fall sports - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

LA CROSSE, WI (WXOW)—We're ramping up on high concussion season as football and soccer practice begin in a few weeks.

Sheldon Wagner, Gundersen Lutheran Athletic Trainer said while contact sports cause concussions more often, you don't even have to be playing a sport to get one.

He said if you suspect a head injury you should remove yourself or the person from harms way immediately.

If you stay in the game, there is a possibility of getting a secondary injury which can lengthen the recovery period.

Sports in a hot environment can be pretty confusing when head injuries occur.

"Because you can't always separate out the symptoms of a head injury versus a heat illness," Wagner said. "There are problems with concentration, there's disorientation, loss of consciousness in some cases."

Wagner said athletes and coaches should make sure they're taking care of themselves in the heat by wearing light colors and drinking plenty of water so if a head injury occurs you can rule out a heat related illness right away.