To ensure better management of sports concussions, physicians at Emory Sports Medicine Center have incorporated Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) into their program for high school athletes.
Concussions occur in about 10 percent of all athletes in contact sports.
They are caused by sudden and violent rocking of the brain inside the skull from a traumatic blow to the head or upper body.
Symptoms vary in length of time and may include amnesia, disorientation, confusion, fogginess, headache, blurred vision, nausea, fatigue and sometimes loss of consciousness.
Ken Mautner, MD, sports medicine physician and assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Emory University School of Medicine, says that most athletes recover completely from concussions as long as they are not returned back to play too soon.
Repeated concussions are cumulative and may cause critical damage to the brain.Â Studies have indicated a possible association with frequent or untreated concussions and development of dementia, depression and, most recently, ALS (Lou Gehrigâ€™s Disease).Â Going back to the sport too soon, before the brain recovers, leaves athletes vulnerable to repeat concussions.
Athletes in the ImPACT program take a 20-minuted baseline test on a computer that measures brain processing such as speed, memory, and visual motor skills.
Each individual’s data are stored in a computer file. In the event of injury, the athlete will take the ImPACT test in the days following concussion.Â Post-concussion data are then compared to baseline data to help determine the severity and effects of the injury.
Mautner says that data from ImPACT combined with a thorough history and physical exam is the best way to prevent athletes from getting â€œback in the gameâ€ too soon.