If you're testing, you've got company
- Created on Friday, 12 August 2011 20:26
- Last Updated on 13.07.2012
- Published Date
The National Hockey League has used computerized neuropsychological testing, known as baseline testing, as part of their concussion management program for over ahttps://. Two years ago the NFL started testing potential recruits, many fresh out of college, at the well-publicized scouting combine where hundreds of pro football hopefuls strut their stuff. The MLB mandated its use this past spring, and so it goes.
Not long ago, asking a high school athlete to sit down at a computer prior to the start of their sports season and go through a series of exercises to test their brain function, was unheard of. While still not the norm, business is brisk for companies selling baseline testing software.
How it works
The results of a baseline test are useful when compared to a second test, taken after a concussion has occured. A trained medical professional will compare the two and any differences between the before-and-after will alert them to cognitive changes that may indicate the athlete is not ready to return to play. Test results are just one aspect of the medical provider's decision to return an athlete to activity, but they can be important in defining whether or not a concussion has healed.
Dr. Mark Lovell, founder of ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), which has offered testing for almost 20 years told the Orlando Sentinel that, "in 2005, only five Florida high schools purchased ImPACT baseline software from the company; this year 50 did." Florida Hospital oversees testing for 18 area high schools. Lovell estimates that 16 percent of the nation's 40,000 high schools offer the screening.
Gaining ground
Dick's Sporting Goods recently announced a campaign to sponsor ImPACT evaluations for one million student-athletes, adding over 3,000 school districts to the grand total.
The Mayo Clinic in Arizona is utilizing Axon Sports for their initiative to test over 100,000 student-athletes in the state, free of charge. They recently expanded their program to include youth hockey teams.
Polly James, CEO of Axon Sports said, "At Axon Sports we are also beginning to see cognitive baseline testing trickle down to the middle school level. Perhaps more pivotally, schools at all levels are also beginning to appreciate that concussions are an issue that extend beyond the football team. Recess (falling off of the swings), physical education classes (dodge ball), and after school activities (intra-murals or club sports like skiing and snowboarding) can expose their students similarly to the risk of concussion. Yet, gaining the funding and policy change to implement baseline testing for simply their athletes is a very real and big “win” for all involved. I believe that in the not too distant future, that more and more children….not just those that society defines as “athletes” ….will have annual cognitive baselines that can be used in their care and treatment should they sustain a possible concussion. However, it’s going to be an evolution, not a revolution."
In their own words...
There are four companies that offer baseline testing, listed below.
https://https://
Axon Sports
Axon Sports is redefining concussion Baseline testing in the sports market as the first company to make tests broadly accessible, affordable, and convenient. It’s a solution easily adopted by Medical Providers, Schools, Teams, and Parents.
The Axon Sports Computerized Cognitivehttps://ment Tool (CCAT) is available online and is used to capture an Athlete's brain speed and accuracy. The test can be completed in just eight to 10 minutes. Test results are stored in secure accounts. Parents can access the online data anytime and share it with their child’s Doctor, Coach or Athletic Trainer, which is especially important as kids move from team to team and school to school. It also allows Parents to make medical care decisions based on their Physician, insurance and financial choices.
The Axon Sports CCAT is one of several tools a Medical Provider can use to help make critical return to play decisions. Customer service is available 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Powered by CogState technology, the testing system has been used for more than 10 years internationally and at major U.S. universities and medical facilities. Learn more at axonsports.com.
AXON SPORTS PRESIDENT AND CEO POLLY JAMES
for more information visit axonsports.com
https://
Concussion Vital Signs
is a web-based sports concussion management platform developed by CNS Vital Signs, a world leader in the design and development of standardized neurocognitive assessment tools. Across the spectrum of concussion management, Concussion Vital Signs is a practical and scientifically validated tool designed to help clinicians collect objective baseline or post injury evaluation clinical endpoints. This battery provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art clinical data to assist health care professionals in making a more informed return-to-play decision.
Concussion Vital Signs adds efficiency and standardization to sports related concussion management. The seven neurocognitive subtests take approximately 25-30 minutes to administer via computer. Immediately after assessment a scored report is automatically generated and contains a global neurocognitive score, nine domain scores plus a further three-part detailed breakdown of Reaction Time. Scores are presented as raw subject and percentile scores. The testing platform also has a concussion history and concussion symptom scale which can be administered independently.
Concussion Vital Signs is sold on a yearly subscription basis, is affordable for any size school or sports organization, and provides UNLIMITED baseline and post injury testing.
Information on Concussion Vital Signs, including how to receive a no cost 30 day trial details may be references at www.concussionvitalsigns.com
Contact Dexter Morgan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Toll free information and support please call:
825-CVS-CVS1 (825-287-2871).
HeadMinder Concussion Resolution Index (CRI)
For athletic trainers, team physicians, psychologists, and other qualified sports and health professionals, the CRI is designed to be an objective tool in the assessment of sports-related concussion and return-to-play decision-making.
How it Works:
In the pre-season, the athlete takes a 25-minute baseline neurocognitive test on an Internet-connected computer. The test measures reaction time, memory, and other neurocognitive functions.
If the athlete sustains a concussion or suspected concussion following the baseline, the athlete takes a post-trauma test, and the results of that test are statistically compared with the athlete’s own baseline.
Results of the comparison are immediately available to registered professionals in a trauma report that includes the athlete’s pertinent medical history including instances of prior concussions, details regarding the trauma, symptom report and evidence of lingering focal neurologic and neurocognitive symptoms of concussion. Follow-up tests and reports are available to monitor resolution of neurocognitive and other post-concussion symptoms.
CRI Highlights:
- · Patented proprietary technology.
- · CRI tests can be administered at any PC, using the Internet Explorer browser, with Internet access, and tests and records are available to the provider from any PC with Internet access.
- · Specialized statistics directly compare each athlete’s post-injury scores to his/her baseline performance.
- · Specialized normative statistics tailored to the number of tests taken reduce the influence of practice effects and other sources of error.
- · Physiologic symptoms and concussion characteristics are integrated into reports for consideration in return-to-play decisions.
- · Medical history, including concussion history, is also integrated into reports for consideration in return-to-play decisions.
- · Cautions regarding test interpretation based on pertinent athlete background are provided.
- · Confidentiality is maintained. Only registered providers can view an athlete’s report.
For more information visit HeadMinder.com
Overview and Features of the ImPACT TestImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is the first, most-widely used, and most scientifically validated computerized concussion evaluation system.
Developed in the early 1990's by Drs. Mark Lovell and Joseph Maroon, ImPACT is a 20-minute test that has become a standard tool used in comprehensive clinical management of concussions for athletes of all ages. ImPACT Applications, Inc. was co-founded by Mark Lovell, PhD, Joseph Maroon, MD, and Michael (Micky) Collins, PhD.Given the inherent difficulties in concussion management, it is important to manage concussions on an individualized basis and to implement baseline testing and/or post-injury neurocognitive testing. This type of concussion assessment can help to objectively evaluate the concussed athlete's post-injury condition and track recovery for safe return to play, thus preventing the cumulative effects of concussion. In fact, neurocognitive testing has recently been called the "cornerstone" of proper concussion management by an international panel of sports medicine experts.
ImPACT can be administered by an athletic trainer, school nurse, athletic director, team coach, team doctor, or anyone trained to administer baseline testing. ImPACT is the most widely used computer-based testing program in the world and is implemented effectively across high school, collegiate, and professional levels of sport participation.
Test Features
- Measures player symptoms
- Measures verbal and visual memory, processing speed and reaction time
- Reaction time measured to 1/100th of second
- Assists clinicians and athletic trainers in making difficult return-to-play decisions
- Provides reliable baseline test information
- Produces comprehensive report of test results
- Results can be e-mailed or faxed for fast consultation by a neuropsychologist
- Automatically stores data from repeat testing
- Testing is administered online for individuals or groups
- Compatible with PC and MAC
The test battery consists of a near infinite number of alternate forms by randomly varying the stimulus array for each administration. This feature was built in to the program to minimize the "practice effects" that have limited the usefulness of more traditional neurocognitive tests.
ImPACT takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The program measures multiple aspects of cognitive functioning in athletes, including:
- Attention span
- Working memory
- Sustained and selective attention time
- Response variability
- Non-verbal problem solving
- Reaction time
https://
ImPACT co-founder, Dr. Michael Collins
for more information visit impacttest.com
Questions/comments? contact Jean Rickerson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Resources
- School professionals play an important role in the health of all students. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of concussion is important, as is managing their return to school post-injury.
- Some ...
- https://
- CDC's Concussion Training for Clinicians
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Concussion Education Video Programs - ...
Parents, athletes, coaches and medical professionals have access to concussion education created...
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New concussion guidelines for team ...
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The risk of concussions in young football players
Marjorie Albohm President, National Athletic Trainers' Association
quick links
Latest News
Concussions Occur...
...in Any Sport
REMOVE athlete from play
REFER to medical provider
REST no sports, no texting/TV
RETURN only with doctor's OK
Source: Children's Hospital Boston, Sports Concussion Clinic