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Concussion Recognition & Evaluation

Unmarked Detour: EEG and MRI No Help in Treating Concussion

When her concussed daughter Heidi began feeling  "buzzy" for 60- to 90-seconds at a time, Dorothy Bedford was scared, but diagnostic tests (EEG and MRI) were no help in identifying the reason for her symptoms.

Neurocognitive Testing Lead To Increased Concussion Awareness

It was only when the use of pre-season and post-concussion neurocognitive testing proved that concussions were having a real effect on brain function that the sports and medical community began to take them seriously, says Dr. William P. Meehan, III.

Concussion Knowledge of Primary Care Doctors Falls Short, Study Says

Many primary care physicians lack confidence in their ability to diagnose and manage concussions, says a new University of Washington study, although doctors receiving a concussion education toolkit were significantly less likely to recommend next day return to play after concussion, consistent with current guidelines.

Reporting Concussion Signs and Symptoms: Be Honest, Be Smart

Concussion expert Dr. William P. Meehan, III says an athlete's failure to report concussions signs or symptoms can delay recovery, result in catastrophic injury in rare cases, and long-term problems.

Difference Between Concussion Sign and Symptom Explained

The difference between a concussion sign and a concussion symptom is that a sign of concussion is one that can be noticed, seen or observed while a symptom is something only the athlete feels or experiences.

Glasgow Coma Scale Used In Evaluating Level of Consciousness, Not Concussion Severity

Emergency medicine provider use the 15-point Glasgow Coma Scale to determine level of consciousness based on responses to various stimuli.  Patients with suspected concussive injury are categorized  as having mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) if they score a 14-15 on on the GCS, but the scale is not useful in assessing the severity of concussion or how long recovery will take, so that the terms mTBI and concussion should not be used interchangeably, says William P. Meehan, III, MD, MomsTeam concussion medicine expert and author of Kids, Sports, and Concussions.

Baseline Scores On SCAT2 Concussion Test Vary By Youth Athlete's Gender and Concussion History, Says Study

Scores on a test commonly used to assess concussions on the sport sideline vary by an athlete's gender and concussion history, reports a new study.  Establishing an individual baseline for each youth athlete in contact and collision sports is therefore critical to proper management of a subsequent concussion and the timing for safe return to play.

Study Questions Reliability of Popular Concussion Measurement Tool

A computerized neuropsychological test commonly used to evaluate sports-related concussions misclassified up to 29 percent of healthy participants in a recent test by a University of Texas at Arlington kinesiology researcher.

Baseline Neuropsychological Tests: Getting Valid Results Poses Challenge

Along with studies reporting high concussion rates, increased concussion awareness among athletes, parents, coaches and health care providers, and new state concussion safety laws has come rapid growth in the use of computerized neuropsychological testing in evaluating and managing sports concussions, particularly at the college and high school levels. The problem, says sports concussion neuropsychologist, Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, Ph. D, is that obtaining a valid baseline test result can be a challenge, especially for youth athletes.
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