Just in time for the kickoff of fall sports, Poudre Valley Health System presents a special online video chat to help athletes, parents and coaches learn more about sports-related concussions.

The chat will be held at noon Tuesday at www.pvhs.org/chat and will feature Dr. Matt Ptaskiewicz, a physician at Family Health Care of the Rockies, 3000 College Ave., Fort Collins. Dr. Ptaskiewicz will highlight the signs of a concussion, ways to prevent a concussion and how to know when a hit to the head is serious enough to see a doctor. Participants also will be able to ask questions during the chat.

A concussion is a brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head. About 3.8 million concussions occur during sports- and recreation-related activities each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Earlier this year, Colorado lawmakers passed a law that will require athletes to sit out of the game if they suffer a head injury. The new law, which will go into effect in January, also requires coaches of high school sports as well as some youth football programs to take free annual training courses that cover how to recognize symptoms of a concussion.

To submit a question for the chat in advance, tweet it to @pvhsnews or post the question at www.facebook.com/poudrevalleyhealthsystem.

--PVHS--