John Terry’s sickening head injury in Sunday’s Carling Cup Final has raised a number of issues regarding medical care at grassroots level.

The England captain made an amazing recovery thanks to the immediate and expert intervention provided by the Arsenal and Chelsea medical staff, returning to the Millennium Stadium from hospital just two hours after lying unconscious on the Cardiff turf.

But how should a player at grassroots level be managed should he or she sustain a serious head injury, when the available medical skills and resources are far more limited?

We spoke to Mike Healy, The FA’s Deputy Head of Medical and Exercise Science, to get his advice.

"The first person who attends a seriously injured player should send for professional medical help immediately. Caution and care are imperative. Spinal injury may have been sustained and therefore the head or neck must not be moved inappropriately to avoid causing further injury.

"The priority is to ensure that the injured player has an effective airway and is breathing. This may require controlled repositioning of the player onto their back, ensuring that the neck is held in alignment with the body. This may take four people and needs practice if it is to be done safely and effectively.

"Once the player is on their back, the head and neck should be stabilized. An effective airway needs to be restored and then maintained, while checking for any obstructions to breathing. The obstruction is usually the tongue which has fallen backwards, but it may be another substance such as chewing gum.

"Chewing gum while playing is very dangerous as removing it from the airway of an unconscious casualty is difficult and can be life-threatening. If removing the gum proves difficult there should be no delay in continuing with the resuscitation process.

"Where spinal injury is suspected, as in cases of unconsciousness coupled with head injury, the ‘jaw thrust’ technique is the best manoeuvre to restore the airway. The first aider should look for a rise and fall of the chest, listen for air being expired and feel for air by putting the side of their face adjacent to the injured player’s face. Ten seconds is needed to establish if breathing is normal."

Healy says simply restoring the airway through good head and neck positioning can often be enough to save someone’s life.

"If they are not breathing, and help is on its way, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) should be commenced straight away. For every minute of delay, the chance of that person being resuscitated decreases by ten per cent. In ten minutes an individual could be dead. In grassroots football, where little professional medical support may be available, this time will go very quickly.

"Once breathing has been restored, the principle is ‘steady and support’ and the continual monitoring of the casualty’s breathing. No attempt should be made to move the player from the field of play, providing they are in no further danger. The implications for a casualty with spinal injury could be catastrophic.

"In reality, saving the life of an unconscious player whose breathing is temporarily interrupted can be a relatively simple process. Anyone is a potential first aider.

"Grassroots clubs are strongly advised to send staff and players on first aid courses to help them deal with the potentially horrific situation should it arise. Each club has a duty of care for all its players.

"It's important to have people at pitchside who are proficient in first aid, the ideal being a minimum of two qualified first aiders in each and every club. The individuals should complete The FA’s Level One Emergency Aid course, which encompasses CPR and procedures for dealing with life-threatening situations, and our Level Two First Aid for Sport course, which includes the management of sprains, strains and contusions - more typical injuries on the football field."

For more advice on The FA's medical courses, click here.

For more information on The FA's Medical and Exercise Science activities, click here.