Concussions are on the rise, and not just slightly. A study released in the journal Pediatrics today shows emergency room visits for school-aged athletes with concussions have skyrocketed.
A San Antonio clinic is using a new computer screening tool to help keep students safe on the court and on the field.
Fall is football season in South Texas. High intensity practices and high impact games mean students are at risk for a concussion, a jarring of the brain caused by a blow or fall.
The brain in the skull is like a balloon in a hard container. When it’s struck, the brain is squeezed against the hard skull. Inside, the connections between brain cells may be damaged or torn. The part of the brain that was hit may become swollen or bruised.
Dr. Evan Ratner is an emergency physician and a former football player. He had been looking for a more objective way to pinpoint concussions and guide athletes when it’s safe to go back to their sport.
He invested in a computer screening test. It takes about 20 to 40 minutes and yields a snapshot of someone’s neurocognitive skills, everything from memorization to timed thinking tasks. Students can take a baseline screening and then if they suffer a concussion, the test can be used to determine their treatment.
“We can actually measure how the brain is working and we can see when someone is off their baseline,” Ratner explained. “We can treat them and then we can measure them over a period of time and see when they get back to their baseline.”
Impact Urgent Care, 16403 Huebner, has been offering the concussion screening test for a few weeks. It only costs $10. Ratner hopes coaches and parents will consider it an investment in protection.
“The last thing you want to do is let someone who’s suffering from a concussion go back and play and get another concession,” Ratner stressed, “because if they’re not back to normal baseline, the injury has the potential to be much more serious and much more long-lasting.”
The most “at risk” activities for head injuries are football, soccer, lacrosse and cheerleading.
