SMA Position Statements
Our position statements provide informative, evidence-based, best practice views on topics important to the sports medicine and physical activity promotion community in Australia, with the aim of helping to keep our members and the wider public informed.
Concussion and Brain Health Position Statement 2024
The Concussion and Brain Health Position Statement 2024 was developed in a collaboration between the Australian Institute of Sport, Sports Medicine Australia, the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians, and the Australian Physiotherapy Association. It brings together the most contemporary evidence-based information on concussion for athletes, parents, teachers, coaches and healthcare practitioners.
The Position Statement is intended to ensure that participant safety and welfare is paramount when dealing with concussion in sport.
Importantly, the updated Position Statement provides clear return to sport/learn timelines by extending the minimum stand down period for both youth (those under the age of 19 years) and community sport following an incidence of sport-related concussion. This conservative approach to concussion management requires the individual being 14 days symptom free (at rest) before returning to contact sport training, and a minimum of 21 days before returning to competitive contact.
This update provides further information on concussion management in female and para-athletes, an expansion of the role of physiotherapists in the diagnosis and management of sport-related concussion, long-term and holistic approaches to brain health, best practice management of multiple concussions, and the creation of a ‘concussion officer’ in schools and community clubs.
Australian Concussion Guidelines for Youth and Community Sport
The Australian Concussion Guidelines for Youth and Community Sport have been designed to provide clear and consistent guidance on concussion for parents, teachers, coaches, sideline staff and others involved in youth and community sport.
These guidelines provide information on how to recognise and manage concussion from the time of injury through to a safe return to education, work and playing sport. This information is intended for the general public and for individuals participating in youth (those aged under 19 years) and community sports where healthcare practitioners are less likely to be available to diagnose and monitor symptom progression of individuals with concussion.
They have been developed in a collaboration between the Australian Institute of Sport, Sports Medicine Australia, the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians, and the Australian Physiotherapy Association, and released in February 2024.
Extreme Heat Risk and Response Guidelines
The SMA Extreme Heat Risk and Response Guidelines outlines practical strategies to reduce heat-related risk across more than 30 popular Australian sports — from football, cricket and tennis to rowing, cycling and athletics.
The guidelines are relevant to all Australians who are physically active, but they are particularly valuable for health professionals promoting physical activity, as well as coaches, fitness leaders and sports administrators.
Sports Heat Tool
Use this webtool to asses your susceptibility to heat risk when playing sport.
Simply enter your sport and location to receive an immediate risk assessment, a forecast for the coming days, and tailored recommendations to help you manage heat risks safely.
These resources developed by The University of Sydney’s Heat and Health Research Centre, and endorsed by SMA’s Scientific Advisory Committee, provide clear evidence-based guidance to help everyone involved in sport make safe decisions when temperatures rise.
SMA would like to acknowledge Professor Ollie Jay, Dr Federico Tartarini, Associate Professor Carolyn Broderick and Dr James Smallcombe from the Heat and Health Research Centre.