“For every 1 concussion that occurs in the NFL over 5,000 concussions are occurring in High Schools"
What is a concussion?
During sports activities, an individual can suffer a hit to the head by an object such as a ball, stick or bat. They could also collide into another person, an opponent, or their own teammate, risking injury to their head. They may even contact the ground forcefully all of which are common mechanisms for sports concussions. You may have heard of someone sustaining a 'ding'. This is still classified as a concussion. Although these symptoms can range from slight to severe, one needs to realize that an injury to the brain has occurred.
The Florida Hospital Sports Concussion Program was developed to aid athletes, coaches, certified athletic trainers, physicians and parents to recognize the symptoms and assist in the management of sports-related concussions.
Getting your "bell rung" is a form of concussion and an athlete’s reaction to a concussion can vary from individual to individual. In the past, determining if there was a concussion or rating the severity of the concussion was based mostly on subjective data using symptoms the athlete was reporting. This can make it very difficult for athletic trainers, coaches and parents to decide when it is absolutely safe to return the athlete to sports. While the athlete may feel their symptoms aren't worth reporting or are worried that reporting their symptoms may keep them out of competition, these decisions come with a significant risk and should be stressed to the athlete.
The effects of a concussion can linger and the developing brain of a youth athlete can result in a slower healing process than their adult idols in collegiate or professional sports. Returning to activity and sustaining another concussion before the first concussion is fully healed can result in long term or permanent impairment of brain functionality potentially affecting schooling and other important aspects of the athlete’s life. In rare cases returning too soon before a concussion is fully healed can even lead to death from Second Impact Syndrome (see below for more details on Second Impact Syndrome).
The Florida Hospital Sports Concussion Program utilizes state of the art protocols which include the use of IMPACT computerized neurocognitive testing software (learn more at: www.impacttest.com). The athletes are baseline tested prior to the start of their sport season on a series of neuro-cognitive tests (25-30 minutes). These tests challenge the athlete’s concentration, verbal memory, design memory, reaction time and mental processing ability. If a concussion is suspected, the athlete will be put through the same computerized test within 24-48 hours following the initial injury and then once again after being symptom free. The results are compared to the athlete’s baseline and factored in to the management plan and return to play guidelines.
If an athlete did not receive a baseline test prior to the season, the ImPact test is still a useful tool for post concussion management. The testing results can be compared to large amounts of normative data that is available to the neuropsychologist who is a trained expert to analyze the data comparatively.
A CT Scan can NOT diagnose a concussion
A CT Scan is a prudent diagnostic tool for someone who has suffered a head injury. This test looks at the physical makeup of the brain and associated structures in the head and neck. A CT Scan can determine if there is bleeding in the brain or fractures present. A CT Scan can NOT diagnose a concussion.
A CT Scan can be NEGATIVE and an athlete can still still suffer from the signs and symptoms of a concussion (for a list of signs and symptoms click on 'About Concussions' above).
It is this reason that the neurocognitive testing is an important tool to look at the functionality of the brain rather than a picture of the brain.
Under Reporting
In a culture to succeed in athletics it has also been shown that athletes do not report these types of injuries as for the possibility of being perceived as weak. What is the perceived importance of a particular event for an athlete? Are they willing to sit out and heal or are they going out there with a 'Play at all costs' attitude?
Baseline neurocognitive testing is now being recognized as a new standard of care for all athletes in contact and collision sports. Neurocognitive testing is currently being used by the NFL,MLB, NHL, NASCAR, a majority of division I colleges and universities plus over 900 high schools across the country and 12 locally in Central Florida.
If you suffered a concussion or to get your baseline test today please call:
