ReActive Physiotherapy is dedicated to the safety of all athletes, from youngsters starting in sports to weekend warriors who have been at it for years. For this reason, we have teamed up with Complete Concussion Management (CCMI), a national research and concussion care organization which shares the goal of dealing with concussions more effectively.
With more awareness of concussions in sport, baseline concussion testing has now become an integral component of any organization’s preseason testing protocol. It allows you to understand how your athlete is dealing with the implications of a concussion and to be sure that they are making progress in their recovery.
What is baseline testing?
During the period after a concussion when your brain is still recovering, it is extremely vulnerable to any additional trauma, especially in children and adolescents whose brains have not yet fully developed. The big concern is not the first concussion – it is the second, or the third. It all comes down to timing. Animal studies have shown that if the brain has fully recovered, there is little to no additive or long-term effects of suffering a future concussion. If, on the other hand, the brain has not fully recovered and you suffer another concussion, the results can be fatal or at the very least can result in prolonged recovery or potentially permanent effects.
Creating a baseline takes a battery of tests that measure every area of brain function that could potentially become affected following a concussion. The reason this test is termed a ‘baseline’ is because it is done before the athlete gets injured. In the event of a concussion, the baseline results can be compared to post-injury results to determine when an athlete has fully recovered and is safe to return to sport. To get your team tested before the start of your season, contact ReActive Physiotherapy.
Submitted by ReActive Physiotherapy
