Special to the Star-Herald
PRESQUE ISLE — Marc Savard’s career with the Boston Bruins is most likely over, the result of a concussion. Troy Aikman retired from the Dallas Cowboys due to multiple concussions and Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins suffered a concussion last year and hasn’t been the same since. These are just three high profile examples of the damage a blow, or repeated blows, to the head can cause. Now just imagine it’s your son or daughter who is injured.
Recognizing the potential severity of concussions SAD 1 has announced a new partnership with the Maine Concussion Management Initiative (MCMI) to offer preseason physical of the brain using the Immediate Past Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test to SAD 1 athletes.
“Athletes now are bigger, stronger and faster. Also in soccer and basketball a lot of the game is played up in the air,” said Mark White, athletic administrator for SAD 1. “In soccer many of the games are played late in the season when the ground is frozen so there is the potential for head injuries. We (SAD 1) just wanted to get ahead of this for the benefit of our student athletes.”
SAD 1 has received a two-year grant from the MCMI to offer baseline and post-concussion testing. County Physical Therapy (CPT) will administer the screenings.
Kayla Barton, an athletic trainer with CPT, will be conducting the tests.
“The 20-25 minute test is presented in video-game format and establishes cognitive baseline levels on the athlete’s memory, reaction time, speed and concentration,” said Barton. “If a student-athlete receives a head injury we will retest them and, if warranted, we will refer them to a physician.”
The athlete’s baseline (pre-season) and post-injury data will be compared to determine the severity of the concussion, treatment of the concussion and timeline for the athlete’s return to full athletic participation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that U.S. emergency departments treat an estimated 135,000 sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, in children ages 5 to 18 every year, but many youngsters go without proper medical care.
“Up to 80 percent of concussions go undiagnosed and untreated every year,” said Barton.
Symptoms of a concussion usually go away entirely within three weeks, though they may persist, or complications may occur. Repeated concussions can cause cumulative brain damage such or severe complications such as second-impact syndrome.
County Physical Therapy will be examining student athletes in Houlton, Mars Hill and Ashland, as well as Presque Isle. Other Aroostook County schools have also taken steps to test for concussions.
Testing, which is not mandatory and requires parental permission, for SAD 1 soccer players was conducted last Tuesday.
