Getting a‘head’ of the game
COLUMBUS — Everyone wants to see inside and gauge the mind of a
student-athlete. And thanks to the work of the Nebraska Sports
Concussion Network, high schools are moving closer and closer to
achieving the knowledge and technology necessary to do so, all
while hopefully making athletics safer.
Thursday, the NSCN stopped by Columbus Community Hospital (CCH),
its first of three training sessions to educate and implement the
Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT)
that has become one of the staples of concussion testing across the
nation at all levels of sports.
Through a partnership with CCH, NSCN can now reach out to
smaller schools, and the immediate area will surely benefit from
the newfound association.
Columbus High, Lakeview High School, Scotus Central Catholic and
Twin River are already involved. Area schools joining them this
year, under the regional coverage provided by CCH, are Schuyler,
David City, Howells, Clarkson, St. Edward and Central Community
College. Several other area schools also are signed up through
different regional hospitals.
None of this would be possible without the sponsorship of CCH,
which will surely benefit from ImPACT. And all involved can thank
the CCH athletic training staff of Rob Marshall, Mike Sloup and
Denise Reicks.
“Those schools have never had the opportunity to participate in
this before,” Sloup said. “With this partnership, it allows us to
offer this to those schools.”
The NSCN’s goals are simple: To provide a means for schools to
improve their athletic healthcare program by implementing a cost
effective sports-related concussion testing program; educate
schools, coaches, athletes and parents to recognize the signs,
symptoms and inherent risks of sports-related concussions; and
assist the medical community to utilize neurocognitive testing in
their medical practice and learning contemporary methods for
managing sports-related concussions and the progression for
concussed athletes return to participation in a more consistent,
objective and safe manner.
In other words, the NSCN wants schools to have the best options
to educate, recognize and treat concussions, keeping players
healthy and safe no matter what the sport.
In only its second year of existence, the NSCN has grown
rapidly. This year, nine regional affiliates have been added, with
CCH being one. There are over 75 schools participating in the
program, and that means a large amount of student-athletes who are
all being taught and given the same tests. Under the NSCN umbrella,
everyone will be on the same playing field when it comes to
concussions.
“This will allow us to be a lot more consistent,” NSCN Testing
Program Coordinator David Schultz said. “Testing in Falls City will
be the same as here in Columbus.”
Over 6,500 student-athletes have already been given ImPACT,
creating a huge database of information on the human brain. But
perhaps the biggest improvement is the regional coverage, which
allows smaller schools to get the same level of testing as the
biggest schools in the state.
Normally, the smallest package for testing is roughly $500,
something the likes of Columbus High are suited perfectly for due
to its size. But the Clarkson’s and St. Edward’s of the state can’t
justify the cost. With the regional sponsor, the smaller-sized
schools can get ImPACT for around $150 for 50 kids. All in all,
both sides come out winners.
ImPACT is a battery of tests that takes around 20 minutes to
complete, measuring a player’s symptoms, verbal and visual memory,
reaction time and aids in creating a return to play (RTP) timeline.
NSCN has helped bring ImPACT to the masses, something many schools
didn’t utilize until recently. Last year, along with the 6,500
student-athletes on file, 265 coaches also took the test, helping
with educating all levels involved.
Still, there is much work to be done.
“Symptoms are not always definite and the decision to allow an
individual to return to activity is not always clear, and that is
where ImPACT’s data will help us. Most athletes who experience an
initial concussion can recover completely as long as they are not
returned to exertion or contact play too soon,” NSCN Medical
Director and Neurosurgeon Daniel Tomes said.
And that, when dealing with a physical sport like football, can
be the hardest thing. From parents to coaches and even athletic
trainers, there are times when the rush to return a player to
action overcomes common sense.
Hopefully, LB 260, a upcoming law Tomes, Marshall and many
others helped get through state legislation will help. The bill
goes into effect in 2012, and will set stricter guidelines when
dealing with concussions.
“Research clearly shows that the effects of repeated concussions
are cumulative,” Tomes said. “A concussed athlete whose injury is
not managed properly and who returns to play too soon before the
brain has had time to heal is at greater risk for further, more
serious injury, and that is a road you never want to travel.”
The road the NSCN is currently headed down is a bright one, and
with schools catching on, should only gain momentum with each year.
Concussions are a part of sports, and probably always will be. But
thanks to the NSCN’s partnership with CCH and other hospitals
across the state, city and area schools will be better educated and
trained about dealing with concussions.
And that will help keep everyone’s mind at ease.