Concussion Assessment and Management Program
"Athletes should be better informed
about the cumulative and persistent
effects of sports concussion on mental
and physical processes"
Dr. Louis de
Beaumont
University of
Montreal
Welcome to CAMP
Website
This website is dedicated to
furthering the knowledge of cerebral concussion and it's impact
on athletic competition. A key component to full recovery
is managing return to play for athletes in central New England.
In spite of new MIAA requirements
some athletic directors resist baseline
testing -
REPORTED IN
PEDIATRICS 2010, HALSTEAD et al.
Private Schools balance MIAA mandates
with high-level Athletics
NEW BRAINTREE, MA
October 7, 2011 A new series of
policies are mandated by the MIAA and
the Massachusetts Department of Health
in support of concussion education
across the commonwealth. Athletic
directors at private schools are
balancing the need for athlete safety
with a push for continued high level
elite athletic programs.
Most private schools adhere to MIAA
mandates and are highly cautious when it
comes to management of concussions.
The
Concussion Assessment and Management
program can help with setting up
programs for providing education and
concussion management in your school.
According to Michael Sefton, Ph.D. the
best practice now includes a seemless
baseline testing program as well as
return-to-school and return-to-play
scenarios for student athletes afflicted
with symptoms of concussion.
Contact Dr. Sefton for information about
policy requirements and assistance with
setting up your concussion protocols
soon.
msefton@qmail.qcc.edu
Sefton
Debuts New Concussion Blog
"INFORMATION
ABOUT CONCUSSION CHANGES EVERY DAY"
MICHAEL
SEFTON
This new blog will attempt to provide
up-to-date information about brain
injury including concussion. Topics
relating to cutting edge research on
chronic traumatic encephalopathy - a
form of dementia that has been
associated with repeated head injury. In
the summer of 2011 three current or
former NHL players died - 2 by
self-inflicted injuries. The surviving
families of all three players donated
their brains for study at the Boston
University Medical Center Brain Bank.
The blog is titled
concussioninsports.blogspot.com and
will focus on both high school athletes
and college teams. Cases will be
discussed along with treatment protocols
and outcome summaries. In addition
the blog will feature assessment tools
and updated legislation.
DISCUSSION ON CONCUSSION
LINGERING HEADACHE FOLLOWS
CONCUSSION
NEW BRAINTREE,
MA October 29, 2011 Headaches occur
with regularity after traumatic
brain injury - especially injuries
of the concussive variety. As a
practitioner interested in
concussion I always ask athletes to
keep a headache diary because it
serves as something of barometer of
the "rest" they are getting after
injury. Research suggests that 20-40
percent of athletes experience
headaches after concussion with a
subset of these cases that go on and
develop chronic head pain. Arguably,
when a player complains of a
lingering headache in the days after
a suspected concussion it is likely
that a connection exists between
bump on head and lingering head
pain. Some do not make this
connection especially when they have
eyes set on returning to play.
It is surprising
that so many people fail to see the
connection between the impact of
concussion and residual headaches.
It is among the most common symptoms
immediately following a concussion.
Headaches are associated with the
decreased efficiency of processing
that results from the neurological
cascade after injury. Headaches are
a signal that the brain has not
returned to homeostasis following
the injury. After concussion the
treatment of choice involves rest -
physical and cognitive. A headache
sometimes signals the lack of rest
and may be a sign that an athlete is
putting their recovery at risk.
Post-exertion headaches may be a
symptom of the onset of
postconcussion syndrome and should
delay the progression of further
activity. Athletes should return to
play in a step-wise fashion that
affords them time to return to
baseline.
Female Athletes at Risk for
Concussion
NEW
BRAINTREE, MA October 8, 2011
More
information is being published about
the impact of concussion on female
athletes. The incidence of
concussion in female high school and
college athletes has risen since
2001 dramatically. Like thier
male counterparts female athletes
are being
diagnosed with concussion more than
ever.
Nationally, girls soccer ranks just
below boys football in high school
sports, according to a 2007 study of
injuries in high school and college
sports by researchers from Ohio
State University and the National
Collegiate Athletic Association
according to published reports.
According to Marla Kaufman, M.D. at
the University of Washington the
problem of concussions in female
athletes may be linked to weaker
core body muscles that leave them
more vulnerable to forces applied to
the torso. Dr. Kaufman
indicated that women play
differently than male athletes.
Injuries occur when thier bodies
collide or when the ladies jump and
fall to the turf.
EMS
- Emergency Medical Service Role in
Concussion Management
New
Braintree, MA October 9, 2011
The age
old question in emergency medical
care is what does the athlete need
who is suspected to have sustained a
concussion? There is no clear
consensus but it is well know that
the prototypic response for EMS is
to transport the athlete to the
nearest Level I trauma center. In
fact, the vast majority of EMS calls
for head injured athletes are benign
and result in no obvious findings of
brain injury. C-T scans and
laboratory studies are generally
normal but that doesn't mean the
athlete is free and clear. EMS
personnel need to learn and
understand the concussion cascade
that result from metabolic changes
from forces applied to the brain
during game play. Some
trainers are using the SCAT-2, a
neuropsychological screening tool
used by many NHL teams. It
measures concentration, S-T memory
and other neurocognitive functions
associated with concussion.
Michael Sefton, Ph.D.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
WATCH FOR UPCOMING SEMINARS
If your school or organization needs
consultation or educational programming
on the topic of concussion or return to
school and return to play programming do
not hesitate to contact me. Seminars are available for low cost to
help.
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