Concussion testing hits Forest Lake
Ranger sports teams incorporating ImPACT program
Clint Riese
Sports Editor
Some Forest Lake athletes had a new addition to their preseason regimen this fall. Rangers in four sports have hit the computer lab to take a test – not a test of calculus or even their knowledge of a wishbone formation, but of their reflexes and memory.
ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) testing is a tool used to help determine when athletes are safe to return to competition after suffering a concussion.
Incoming ninth-grader Cole Whitman takes a baseline concussion test at the high school library earlier this month. Fairview Sports and Orthopedic Care is conducting the testing for several Forest Lake sports this year. The results are used to determine when players can return to action following a concussion. (Photo by Clint Riese)
ImPACT testing has become commonplace as more light has been shed on the danger of concussions. Taken when subjects are fully healthy, the results set a “baseline” to compare with when the test is taken again following a concussion.
Ranger athletic trainer Valerie Happala of Fairview Sports and Orthopedic Care, who has been coordinating the baseline testing, is pleased to see the school take the measure.
The local push for testing follows national campaigns and state legislation designed to show kids the severity of concussions. It has been a long, uphill battle to get past the old stigma of concussions as simply “getting your bell rung.”
The Minnesota Legislature this summer passed a bill which directs the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) to craft a concussion awareness campaign, assemble training materials and establish a strict treatment protocol for treating concussions in young athletes.
The lawmakers approved the bill following a plea from New Prague teenager Kayla Meyer, who missed nearly 70 days of school due to headaches, a low tolerance for noise and lingering health issues following two concussions.
“When in doubt, sit them out,” Meyer urged coaches and parents of young athletes who may have suffered a concussion. Symptoms include headache, loss of consciousness, confusion, amnesia, vomiting, ringing in the ears and tiredness.
FL gets on board
While Happala welcomes the legislation, she said the bigger move came a year ago when the MSHSL implemented a rule that any athlete showing concussion symptoms must be evaluated by a medical professional before returning to play.
Forest Lake got on board with the ImPACT testing last school year and had participation from the hockey, girls’ basketball, alpine skiing and lacrosse programs. The tests cost about $5 per athlete. As they are not paid for by the district, they are not mandatory.
This fall, athletes in football, volleyball, and soccer have undergone the testing. Volleyball had by far the highest participation, as the program’s booster club covered the expense. There was minimal response from the other teams.
Increased awareness
According to Happala, concussions can occur without huge head-on collisions, and symptoms can linger anywhere from a few days to several months. Fortunately, youth these days seem to be grasping the danger.
“There’s definitely more awareness,” she said. “There’s still a few that think, ‘It’s just a concussion, no big deal,’ but for the most part I think the kids have an understanding that it’s their head. They have a much better understanding than they did even 3-5 years ago.”
Ranger football player Cole Whitman did not know much about the testing until taking it a few weeks ago, but was glad his mother insisted he undergo it. He believes he might have suffered two concussions during his time in football and boxing.
“I think [young athletes] will take it seriously,” the incoming ninth-grader said. “I think it should be mandatory, actually. It’s a good idea.”