Hospital Offers Free Concussion Test for Youth Athletes

The Valley Hospital Sports Institute recently joined the ranks of health centers and athletic programs worldwide that are utilizing proactive concussion managing tests for athletes.

The difference is that the sports institute is doing it for free.

"It's becoming more popular," said Sports Institute Director Donald Tomaszewski of the ImPACT Concussion Management Test software the department received though a hospital innovations grant. As more media attention shines on professional athletes who have suffered concussions on the field, diagnostic programs have seen a widespread increase in use.

ImPACT, or Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing, is a program already used by many area hospitals and schools including the four high schools that hold contracts with Valley. Ridgewood High School has used the program for several years.

But the software has limited use in youth athletics, an area where it can be utilized by athletes 12 years and up. It can be harder to bounce back from a concussion when the athlete is younger.

"Theoretically, there's longer recovery time," Tomaszewski said.

ImPACT is a computer software program that gauges injuries from a concussion by comparing the injured athlete's test results with a baseline test the athlete takes ahead of time. Through this, physicians can better determine when an athlete can return to the field. Though this kind of neuro-cognitive testing is not new to medicine, its use in athletics continues to grow.

"It's a pretty sensitive tool," Tomaslewski said.

A baseline test takes about 20 minutes to complete, during which the user is asked a series of questions to test recall skills and reflexes. But, said Tomaszewski, even videogame gurus can be measure accurately from the test.

"When you're concussed, you're not going to be good at those things," he said.

One baseline test is good for two years, and Valley is one of few, if any, hospitals offering baseline tests for free. Saint Joseph's Children's Hospital in Paterson charges $10 a test for children.

Though ImPACT does not serve as the end-all for concussion diagnosis, it offers a more comprehensive way to determine how much brain damage has been received than just asking how the injured person feels and noting his or her symptoms.

It also catches athletes who, eager to get back on the field, could lie about symptoms in a question and answer session. ImPACT offers object results with safeguards to prevent cheating in the baseline test.

"We know what a normal 12-year-old should be scoring," Tomaszewski said.

According to the University Of Pittsburgh Concussion Center, approximately 10 percent of all athletes in contact sports suffer a concussion once a season. And the ramifications of an injury extend beyond the playing field.              

"It's not just about sports anymore," Tomaszewski said. A concussion can affect a student's typical school day, and the hospital encourages involvement with injured athletes, coaches and teachers to establish a modified day-to-day schedule for a period after the concussion.

There are four testing slots available presently for 14 during each slot, but Tomaslewski expressed that this could change based on demand.

"We're really committed to this," he said.

Baseline testing will be available Aug. 25 and Aug 31 at both 5 and 6:30 p.m. in the computer classroom on the third floor of the Valley's Kraft Center. To register or for more information, contact the Sports Institute at 201-447-8133 or Tomaszewski at dtomasz@valleyhealth.com.