Concussion Baseline Testing in Okotoks
With recent concussion awareness in the media, multiple parents of young athletes in our clinic have asked if we performed baseline concussion testing in the office. We soon found out that no one was providing this service for our young athletes in town, which was a surprise to us.
Why Concussion Baseline Testing is Important
The baseline testing gives the practitioner, the child and the parents an idea of where the child sits prior to a concussion. If the child suffers from a concussion during play, they can call us to assess the cognitive, neurologic and motor changes (if any) of the athlete (SCAT3 assessment) and then we monitor a return-to-play program (imPACT protocols) to prevent re-injury and lasting effects of the concussion (such as post concussion syndrome).
If they have moved away or are unable to have a post-concussion (SCAT3) assessment performed in our office, they will have their original baseline documentation available (which will be given to each child) and find a doctor who performs baseline testing in their area (obviously, this isn’t ideal, as the post-injury testing should be performed by the original doctor. However, it’s still better than going to a new physician with no baseline results).
How We’re Different
- Orientation
- Immediate Memory
- Concentration
- Delayed Recall
Balance Examination:
- Double leg stance
- Single leg stance
- Tandem stance
Coordination Examination
- Upper limb coordination
- Myotomes
- Dermatomes
- Reflexes
- Rhombergs balance
Cervical (Neck) Examination:
- Range of Motion (active)
- Palpation of cervical spine
- Documentation of findings
