Area athletes to undergo post-concussion testing by Catawba Valley Medical Center – Hickory Daily Record

CATAWBA COUNTY Student athletes in five area high schools and one area college will undergo special testing this academic year to monitor the effects of mild traumatic brain injuries- or concussions.

Led by Catawba Valley Medical Center, Bandys, St. Stephens, Bunker Hill, Maiden, and Newton-Conover high schools along with Catawba Valley Community College, have already begun the baseline testing.

ImPACT, or Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment Cognitive Testing, is used in hospitals and schools throughout the country, and takes roughly 20 minutes to complete.

Think of it like a personality test, said Dr. Keith McManus, the sports medicine director at CVMC. The test gives a profile on cognitive function and personality.

McManus said the sports medicine program at CVMC has trainers at each school that will be responsible for administering the tests and gathering the results.

Marcus Osborne, director of Wellness Services at CVMC, said the test will be administered to the majority of athletes at these schools with priority given to sports with high risk of head injury, such as football, soccer and cheerleading.

If a head injury happens, the athlete will repeat the ImPACT test within 72 hours, he said.

From there, the athlete's doctor and schools concussion management team will evaluate the results and determine when the athlete may return to the sport and the classroom.

Even though recent research of long-term side effects of concussions have caused many to worry, Newton-Conover High School football player Cameron Forney has had no hesitation.

Im not worried, he said after completing the baseline test. Ive never had a concussion.

Before taking the test, the athletes were warned that it might be confusing.

It was a little confusing at the end, Forney said. But I think I did OK.

Thankfully, the test can tell if someone scored low on purpose or if they were confused. If that happens, Osborne said their results will be flagged and that person will retake the test.

Osborne also stressed that the ImPACT testing is not a treatment, but it can help determine the extent of the injury, which helps physicians make treatment decisions.

Local neurologist Dr. Robert Yapundich defines a concussion as a head injury due to contact trauma, which may or may not result in a loss of consciousness.

For a long time, thats how people determined whether or not you had a concussion, but thats not always the case he said.

As for which symptoms to look for, Yapundich says he has a list he calls the bread and butter of concussion symptoms.

Cognitive issues, such as problems with thinking or remembering; physical symptoms, such as blurred vision, nausea and loss of balance; emotional issues, such as irritability, anxiety and sadness; and little or too much sleep are all signs of a potential concussion.

There are some danger signs people should look for like a bad headache, weakness, numbness or poor coordination, slurred speech, and persistent nausea and vomiting, Yapundich added.

He said if someone has those symptoms after hitting their head, this could be a sign of a serious issue that needs immediate medical attention.

Yapundich also stressed the importance of following treatment protocol after a concussion.

Theres something called second impact syndrome, which happens when someone returns to playing a sport before theyre cleared, they get hit again, the brain swells and they can die, he said.

The healing period for a concussion is a case by case basis, and some patients can develop a condition called post concussion syndrome where theyll exhibit certain symptoms for an extended period of time, sometimes years, after a concussion.Beginning in September, CVMC physiatrist Dr. Jessica Urzen will begin offering concussion management.

As for longterm effects, researchers are finding that repeated head trauma and injuries can lead to a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

CTE is primarily seen in athletes who have suffered from repeated brain trauma such as concussions.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention lists memory loss, depression, aggression, anger, irritability, suicidal behavior, and dementia as typical signs and symptoms of the disease and that it can only be diagnosed after death.

A study published by the Journal of American Medical Association on July 25, found that 87 percent of its test subjects had CTE. The study looked at 202 brains of deceased American football players whose brains were donated to the study after family members felt their loved one exhibited symptoms of the disease.

Out of the 202 test subjects, 111 of those were former National Football League players and 110 were found with CTE.

While these statistics may be alarming, Yapundich says most studies on CTE cannot be applied to the general population, since the majority of the studies are done on former NFL players who were in their 60s and 70s when they passed away.

We know a lot more about head injuries now, he said.

Overall, athletes should do as much as they can to prevent an injury and follow their physicians instructions after an injury.

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Area athletes to undergo post-concussion testing by Catawba Valley Medical Center - Hickory Daily Record