Health,Wellness &FitnessGuide

DR. KAPLAN: Concussion Baseline Testing

One of the most common reasons parents are bringing in their children to see me at my Emerson, NJ office is concussions. It seems every year, I am seeing more and more concussion patients.

The good news is that by rewiring the brain through a process called neuroplasticity, we can help heal areas of the brain that are most affected or damaged. Football, hockey, and soccer are very popular sports in which many concussions occur.

However, head injuries can take place in almost every sport and they occur in many off field events such as car accidents and slip and falls. And we not only see children for concussion, but we also see many adults for concussion. In my opinion, the most important thing to consider is doing baseline testing.

Baseline testing consists of performing a thorough brain andneurological evaluation to see how the child is BEFORE any injuries or head trauma. This way we will know exactly how much damage was done.

Without baseline testing, we never knowwhen the child is back to normal and ready to play again.

The reason this is so important is because if the athlete is previously concussed and hits their head a second time before they are back to his or her baseline, the symptoms seem to be much worse and have a much more dire consequence in the future. Usually the second or third hit is a lot less violent and doesn't seem to be as bad as the first, but because the first head injury was not completely resolved, the brain cannot handle another impact, even if it is not as intense.

The first step in preventing this whole scenario is taking a VNG/VOG baseline test. This is a non-invasive, infrared camera system which measures and records eye movements to determine brain function. Another test that is important for baseline testing is computerized posturography (CAPS) where we measure balance and awareness of the body in space. The 3rd test is called the NSI (Neurosensory Integrator) which evaluates memory, reaction time, vision, and focus. We also use another computerized test called The Interactive Metronome. Originally used to treat children with autism or ADD, we now use this IM technology for concussion testing to see how coordination, balance, hearing and seeing are integrated in the brain.These advanced testing techniques are used in addition to traditional testing, such as reflexes, muscle tests, and posture analysis to determine the baseline.

In my opinion, it would be considered risky to let a child go back on the field and return to normal activity after a head injury.

It is highly suggested to wait until neurological testing goes back to the normal baseline before returning to play.

Unfortunately, many parents do not even realize their kids have a concussion and this may happen for avariety of reasons. Sometimes the child does not report to their parents that theyeven got hit in the head. A lot of times they hide their symptoms from the parents so they can continue to play or hide the truth from the coach because they do not want to get taken out of the game. If your child plays sports and starts getting headaches, dizziness, double vision, brain fog, anxiety, depression, anger,sleep problems, fatigue, or difficulty with concentration, start to ask some questions about hitting his or her head. If they did hit their head, even if it is a very small