Concussions do not have to be a product of a direct hit to the head,
however, the majority have been a result of head trauma.
Credit:@MrEugeneMonroe
By: Vincent Pensabene
The world has entered into a concussion awareness era, even though there is still valuable information that is unknown about these injuries.
A concussion is defined as “a type of traumatic brain injury that interferes with normal function of the brain. It occurs when the brain is rocked back and forth or twisted inside the skull as a result of a blow to the head or body.” These injuries have become common in contact sports, but can also happen in everyday life.
“All concussions are serious and the worst thing anyone can do is lie about their symptoms and try to return to play too quickly. A second concussion that occurs before the first one has resolved is very serious,” said Barbara Wilson, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine at Saint Leo University.
When most people think of concussions in sports, they think of football, however, at Saint Leo University, the sport with the most concussions is Women’s Soccer. The concussion does not only affect the player on the field, but off of it as well. Diagnosing the concussion is the most important part because if it is not treated, there can be serious long-term health issues.
“Saint Leo uses two different baseline tests to see if an athlete is symptom-free, the first is IMPACT- a computer evaluation that measures cognitive ability and reaction time. The other is SWAY- an app that tests for balance and reaction time. If we suspect a concussion, we use SWAY as a re-evaluation and the SCAT 5 to evaluate,” added Wilson.
Saint Leo does all that it can do to help students that suffer from concussions, however, there are many other tests available that could tell if the brain is healed that should be taken advantage of. Joel Knickerbocker, PT owns Pasco Rehabilitation and has technology that can tell if a person is still suffering from a concussion and if a player is ready to return to the field.
With current concussion tests mainly dealing with physical conditions, the CTSIB takes it a step further with balance. The Clinical Test of Sensory Integration of Balance (CTSIB) is a simple test that people go through to measure their balance. The test consists of four trials that last thirty seconds each and measures the amount of sway your body has throughout those thirty seconds. The first two trials are on a machine, beginning with your eyes open and then with your eyes closed. Next, the person stands on top of a foam surface on the machine and repeats the previous two trials. The test results are printed out and show where they rank compared to the mean for their age.
The CTSIB requires that people take the test prior to an injury, so that there is a baseline that can be measured. The test that Knickerbocker offers costs twenty dollars, while similar tests can cost upwards of one-hundred dollars. The information from the test is stored into the computer for an entire year.
Knickerbocker has over thirty years of experience under his belt and has been volunteering his services to Pasco High School Pirates football for over twenty of them when his mentor and then Team Physician, Dr. Don McBath, asked him to help out with the program.
“The kids are the most important. I’ve seen kids get hurt and get no medical release before going back into the game, I’d feel lost without being able to help those kids,” Knickerbocker stated.
If you are interested in taking this test, please contact Joel Knickerbocker at (352) 521-0002 or visit him at 37104 Clinton Avenue in Dade City. He also has an open-door policy if an injury occurs.
There are many different tests to take to make sure that the brain is recovered. This can have long-term health effects if not treated correctly and can affect a person’s personality, grades, etc. Make sure that these types of injuries are taken seriously.
