New Test To Diagnose Concussions In Student Athletes

January 18, 2012

Traumatic brain injuries, like concussions, can be extremely difficult for doctors to diagnose because the injury does not always manifest itself in a manner that allows the symptoms to be easily qualified. That is why, according to reports from WTHITV 10 News, schools across the Terre Haute, Indiana, area are using a new test on student athletes that will help doctors, trainers, and coaches better discern if a player has suffered a concussion.

The examination known as the Impact Test is also used by professional sports leagues like the NFL and is quite simple to administer. The athlete simply answers a series of questions prior to going out on the field. Then, if the athlete is suspected to have suffered a brain injury, they go in and retake the evaluation. Changes in answers, the speed in which answers are given, and several other variables are then measured. A specialist in the field can then evaluate the results to see if a traumatic brain injury occurred and its severity.

New laws were recently passed in Indiana that will also protect student athletes from potential traumatic brain injuries by requiring any athlete suspected of suffering a concussion to be removed from the game until a specialist has examined him or her.

The Indiana brain injury lawyers with Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin are hopeful that these new measures will protect Indiana’s young people from suffering life-long debilitations resulting from traumatic brain injuries.