A concussion is a traumatic brain injury. Concussions can be caused by a blow to the head or body. In fact, most whiplash motions have the potential to become a concussion. Although there may be no signs of injury this doesn’t mean a concussion hasn’t occurred. Following a suspected concussion, a player should be immediately removed from play.
Our concussion rehabilitation and baseline testing protocol consists of a series of tests examining memory, concentration, visual tracking speed, processing abilities, balance, and reaction timing. These tests are used to assess the overall current functioning of the brain. If a concussion is later suspected, the results established from the baseline can be measured against a post test and used to determine impairment in brain functioning. In addition, they are used as an effective measure to determine when the brain has fully recovered and the athlete is safe to return to play or the client is ready to return back to work. For most accurate measuring, a baseline test for athletes should be done prior to the start of each season.
Following a concussion, the “sitting in a dark room” approach is only effective for so long. Concussions, like other injuries, should be properly managed and rehabilitated. At Zone Health & Performance Psychology we understand that each client is affected differently and therefore a customized rehabilitation program will be designed to meet the specific needs of each client. Management strategies are used to limit the amount of impairment as well as expedite recovery as much as possible.
Creating a map of the brain’s electrical activity is actually fairly straightforward and takes only a couple of hours. It is also completely non-invasive and pain-free. This procedure allows us with pinpoint accuracy to identify what parts of the brain aren’t “firing” correctly, and why.)
Our Lead Psychologist will conduct a thorough post-injury evaluation in order to gain a complete picture of your injury and how it’s impacted you. This includes a detailed interview in order to obtain information on:
The problem is that symptoms (meaning how someone feels) do not coincide with brain recovery. The only way to know when the brain has fully recovered and out of this “vulnerable period” is to compare current brain function to when the individual was healthy; this is what is known as a “baseline test”.
A baseline test is a battery of tests that measure every area of brain function that could potentially become affected following a concussion (you need more than computer tests!!). The reason that the test is termed a “baseline” is that it is done BEFORE the athlete gets injured. In order to know when an athlete has fully
recovered, we first have to know where they were when they were healthy. Without having this information, there is no way to truly know when an athlete has fully recovered and is safe to return to their sport.
Baseline testing is the most important thing to get done prior to beginning your sports season on a yearly basis. Comprehensive baseline testing helps us help you and your coach know when you’re ready to get back in the game if you experience a concussion during the season. Your concussion experience, like yourself, is unique.
Our concussion baseline testing keeps you safe on the field.
“We want you to avoid the bench this season. Our concussion baseline testing can make all the difference.”
We believe every athlete playing a contact sport (hockey, soccer, football, lacrosse) should have baseline testing completed before the beginning of each season.
Comprehensive baseline testing helps you and your coach know when you’re ready to get back in the game if you experience a concussion during the season. Your concussion experience, like yourself, is unique.
We start by using advanced qEEG (Quantitative Electroencephalography) technology that precisely measures your unique brainwave activity. It is performed to investigate brain wave patterns associated with concentration and attention.
The assessment usually takes between 3-4 hours and consists of:
Zone Health & Performance Psychology is proud to partner with Cambridge Brain Sciences. They are a leading provider of cognitive assessment tools for clinicians and medical practices, providing scientifically-validated cognitive tasks that produce objective measures across multiple cognitive domains.
A series of Cognitive Performance tests that provide objective and quantifiable measures of:
