Student Athletes Heed LRMC’s Medical Guidance to Avoid Long-term Effects of Concussion
Tuesday, November 23 2010
At the beginning of August, the Lakeland Christian School (LCS) Vikings’ football players were gearing up for the season. They were building in extra practice time, participating in agility drills and planning game-winning strategies.
The team also took the expression “get your head in the game” to a whole new level. This year, the LCS football players became the first team in Lakeland to utilize ImPACT, a computerized neurocognitive assessment tool that can ultimately gauge when and if it is safe for a player to return to the field after suffering from a concussion. The process involved each player taking the test on-site at LRMC’s Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Clinic. The test scores would then serve as a baseline for each student’s behaviors and thought processes.
“The test is scientifically-proven to measure everything from attention span to problem-solving abilities,” said Melissa Helm, ATC, athletic trainer at LRMC’s Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic and LCS. “It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.”
That mere 20 minutes of testing would change the outcome of one student in particular: Trey Standifer (photo below), No. 5, a starting tight end for LCS.
Fast-forward to early September; the second game of the season. It was a home game, and Standifer was pumped to have the opportunity to start. However, his adrenaline came to a screeching halt when he made head-on-head contact with another player. He recognized some of the symptoms of a concussion, having suffered others during his athletic career. He felt dizzy and his vision was blurred.
After the hit, the player was immediately assessed by Helm, along with LCS team physician, Mark Munson, MD, of Lakeland Regional Orthopedic Associates. The following Monday, Helm recommended Standifer come to LRMC’s Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Clinic for follow-up testing.
“The test results were not great,” said Standifer.
Although he did not envision sitting out his senior year, the 17-year-old also knew long-term effects of multiple concussions were “not something to mess with.” After a number of re-tests with similar results, Standifer’s parents decided to take precautionary measures to prevent another head-injury and kept him from returning to the football field just yet.
“I haven’t played in the games for the past six weeks, but I still feel like a part of the team,” said Standifer from the sidelines at an LCS practice.
When Standifer’s test scores increased, to the point of surpassing his baseline testing, his parents opted to see a neurologist before allowing him back on the football field.
“After seeing the neurologist, we all agreed that it was best for me not to play football again this year,” said Standifer. “The neurologist told us that it doesn’t have to be a hard hit, but the right hit, to do serious damage. It isn’t worth a life-long struggle.”
He then spoke of his dreams to be a part of his dad’s company one day. “Since I have had several concussions in the past, it was not worth the risk for me to finish out this season,” he said.
Another player who took part in the testing at LRMC’s Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Clinic was Drew Cleghorn, a wide receiver. His father, as the team’s defensive back and special teams coach, is never far during an LCS practice or game. After a hard hit during a game, Drew was transported by ambulance to LRMC. As it turned out, he suffered from a minor concussion and was discharged later that evening. The following Monday, Helm brought him in for more testing at the clinic.
“Drew’s first post-injury test showed signs that he was not ready to play, and he sat out the following game. The second post-injury test showed favorable results, so after taking that into consideration and assessing his symptoms, we felt it was safe for him to play the following game,” said Helm.
Coach Bob Cleghorn says the testing LRMC utilized for the students this year has become a critical component to the safety of LCS’s athletes. (Below: Drew and Coach Bob Cleghorn)
“Of course, our players want to get back out there as soon as they can, and that desire to play has the possibility of diminishing the symptoms they could still be feeling,” said Coach Cleghorn. “The testing takes the guesswork out of when or if they should play after an injury.
Since beginning the testing with the LCS Football team, LRMC’s Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Clinic has received inquiries from other parents interested in taking advantage of ImPACT. “A student athlete who has suffered from a concussion can still benefit from post-injury testing even without baseline results,” said Helm. “There are over a million students’ test results in the database which can also serve as a baseline if one was not conducted.”
When it comes to concussions in young athletes, Helm said it is important to remember that every case is different. While a broken bone is easy to identify, a concussion is something that is not always easy to diagnose.
“Ninety percent of concussions do not result in lack of consciousness,” she said. “The great news is that concussions are manageable. With the help of the neurological testing, it gives the students the proper amount of time to recover and make a complete turnaround, often returning to the sports they love.”
The ImPACT testing was provided on a pilot basis to LCS, through funding by LCS. LRMC hopes to be able to make the testing available to students throughout the county in the future.