Many parents and health care professionals are paying more attention to concussions sustained in school sports after high-profile media reports as well as the 2015 movie “Concussion” have led to a national conversation about possible long-term brain injury.

Dr. Stephen Pont, pediatrician at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, said it is important for students to participate in sports but to do so in the safest way possible.

Pont, who works with Austin ISD Student Health Services, said health care professionals and parents need to take extra precaution to ensure students are safe if they play contact and noncontact sports alike because concussion symptoms can be subtle.

“If you hurt your knee, then your knee hurts, and you know it,” he said. “But with your brain it’s more subtle.”

Pont said if there is any concern about a concussion the first step is to take the child out of the game right away. He said youths might be hesitant to leave the game, but that in itself could be the sign of a concussion.

“Part of a concussion is your brain is not working properly,” Pont said. “Some signs of concussion could be anger, irritation and confusion, so if [athletes] get angry it could be a sign they are concussed.”

Pont said physicians used to believe that the loss of consciousness was the main indicator of if a concussion needs to be treated, but now research shows that even mild concussions can be severe if not treated immediately.

“If there’s any concern about concussion, they need to be pulled from play and examined by a physician and a primary care provider,” Pont said.

Pont said concussions are very common, and parents and athletes should think of them the same way they think of ankle or knee injuries.

Pont said there is a perception concussions mainly happen during football, but athletes can be prone to the injury while participating in sports such as soccer, basketball and volleyball. Pont said girls playing sports actually receive more concussions than males who play the same sport.

Concussions in Texas schools received extra attention in 2011 when the state signed into law House Bill 2038, also known as Natasha’s Law. The law mandated training for coaches and athletic trainers and that students must sign a form explaining concussion prevention, symptoms, treatment and guidelines for safely resuming athletics after a concussion.

Kate Hector, media coordinator for the University Interscholastic League, which administers rules for school sports in Texas, said the law broadened the scope of guidelines and regulations relating to concussions, but the UIL has been addressing the issue for decades and has had concussion-related protocol in place since 2003.

Melissa Harrington, an athletic trainer at Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock ISD, said there is a checklist of 23 signs and symptoms school officials go over when an athlete may be concussed. She said the most obvious symptoms come from the student’s eyes and expressions.

“You can just tell the kid doesn’t feel good,” she said.

Harrington said sometimes an athlete does not tell the trainer about his or her symptoms or the symptoms may exacerbate over time, so the athletes are encouraged to be aware of those symptoms and alert personnel.

“If you suspect you or your teammate has one, you’re supposed to tell your coach or athletic trainer,” she said.

Harrington said the most important thing to know is the student is completely healed before returning to practice or play, and that could take days, weeks or months.