Turns out I have a special interest in this latest advice about concussion during sports. I’ve been tracking updates ever since one of my sons, who played school rugby, was concussed during a match.

Pitch-side attention to such episodes was primitive then and has greatly improved since. So I’m very happy that experts have revised national guidelines on sports-related concussion.

Their update reflects a better understanding of how head injuries can affect athletes. Why do we need this? Because head injuries in sport can lead to brain diseases like dementia in later life.

Scottish national guidelines on sport concussion were launched in 2015 – a world first – and were updated in 2018, helping to raise awareness of symptoms, advocating a graduated return to activity. The guidance is now the same for all ages.

After the initial 24- to 48-hour rest period, recent research encourages doing light physical activity as it improves recovery.

The research team, which includes four sports bodies, recommends all concussions should be managed individually, with no return to competition for 21 days. Anyone with symptoms after 28 days should seek medical advice.

Importantly, the revised guidelines reflect recent studies showing female athletes may be more susceptible to concussion and may take longer to recover.

The team of experts behind the new guidelines includes researchers from the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, plus representatives from Scottish Rugby, the Scottish Football Association, Shinty’s Camanachd Association and sportscotland.

Other nations are now adopting the key message of earlier Scottish guidance on how to respond to affected athletes – “if in doubt, sit them out”. So UK guidance has been adopted in Australia and New Zealand as they seek to create one unifying set of guidelines while Edinburgh University has incorporated concussion education into its teaching programmes.

Physical education students at Moray House School of Education and Sport will be required to complete a mandatory concussion course as part of their studies.

The course is taught by Dr Stephanie Adams of Moray House, who’s also part of the Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network.

An estimated 50% of sports concussions go unreported, and young people aged 10-19 are most affected. Dr Adams says upskilling PE teachers to give them the tools they need to identify and support students with concussion is a huge step forward.

“The course will ensure our students feel more equipped to deal with head injuries, and knowing what to do when a concussion occurs is a key skill for any PE teacher,” says Dr Adams.