EDITORIAL BETWEEN THE LINES
It’s Time Baseline Testing
Becomes Mandatory By Kevin Hoffman, Managing Editor
khoffman@lesspub.com
T
ake every bit of technology, ev- ery ounce of knowledge and ev- ery piece of legislation. You’re still not going to prevent concussions. That doesn’t mean we should stop trying to diminish the number of head injuries athletes suffer each year. If equipment takes even the smallest step in protecting an athlete’s brain, then it’s worth it. At the same time, it’s imperative that we do all we can to prevent a concussion from becom- ing a life-long struggle with cognitive functioning that can end in tragedy. In January, Marquette University held a forum titled “The Societal Im- pacts of Sports-Related Mild Trau- matic Brain Injuries,” and among the discussion was baseline testing. These help trainers evaluate ath- letes after head injuries to determine whether side effects are still lingering or the athlete can return to play. Surprisingly, these tests are not mandatory in college or high school. That’s something that must change if we intend to get serious in addressing the long-term effects of sports-relat- ed head injuries. ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concus-
sion Assessment and Cognitive Test- ing) is becoming more prevalent with sports programs, but until this type of test becomes a staple in schools, we’re failing to fully protect athletes. Licensed athletic trainers, like Jon
Finiak at Whitnall High School (Wis.), say ImPACT is a valuable tool in gaug- ing an athlete’s recovery, so why aren’t more schools taking advantage of it? “It’s incredibly helpful,” Finiak says. “An athlete can suffer a concussion and get the headache and dizziness, but you don’t know how the inner-workings of the brain are. Those side effects can go away but they still might struggle in school, and that’s a red flag that they’re
6 March/April 2013
not ready to return.” Some schools say it’s the cost, but
ImPACT isn’t expensive. A school can purchase 300 baseline tests with 90 post-injury exams for $500. De- pending on participation, that can be as little as $2 per athlete. Another argument is whether they are reliable. During the forum at Mar- quette, some coaches expressed con- cern that athletes purposely “sandbag” their baseline tests so they can get back on the field quicker following an injury. That’s no reason to brush aside the overall benefits of baseline testing. ImPACT unintentionally filters out many athletes determined to skew the results. Students can fail the test if they score too low and be forced to re-take the 30-minute exam. Finiak says that helps prevent sandbagging, as many student-athletes try to avoid re-doing what he calls a “very boring test.” An even bigger hurdle is changing a culture where athletes feel that they must play through injuries to avoid disappointing their team members. The test can’t help athletic directors in that regard, and that’s where you must be diligent in educating students about the substantial risks they’re taking. You must show athletes what they’re risking—don’t just tell them. Invite a former athlete suffering from the effects of head injuries to speak to your students, or show them a video with a retired pro discussing the daily struggles in dealing with head trauma. I don’t dispute that obstacles ex- ist in making baseline tests as routine as physicals, and I don’t argue that it doesn’t come with flaws. But as the leader of your athletics program there comes an obligation to look out for the well being of your student-ath- letes. This is your opportunity to show you’re up to the challenge.
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March/April 2013 EDITORIAL
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: TOM BASS, Former NFL Assistant, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers & San Diego Chargers
DR. DAVID HOCH, Retired Athletic Director, Baltimore County, Md.
MIKE NITKA, Director of Human Performance, Muskego High School, Wis.
ABE WEHMILLER, Athletic Director, Lakeside School, Seattle, Wash.
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