Price Transparency
What Is Baseline Testing for Sports Concussions?

What Is Baseline Testing for Sports Concussions?

by | Sep 19, 2019 | Sports Medicine

Watch the video to learn more about baseline testing.

Many studies suggest that access to baseline information when monitoring post-injury symptoms and deciding when a student athlete is ready to return to school or sports is helpful. Though this concept is useful with all diagnoses, it is most frequently utilized to manage return to learn and return to play after sports concussions.Baseline testing is a common term used to describe objective information that is gathered before the season begins. This may include tests of skills we can see like balance, speed or coordination. However, many use the term “baseline testing” to reference neurocognitive testing, specifically. These tests are typically done on a computer or one-on-one with a psychologist and they evaluate how the brain performs skills we can’t see such as remembering, solving problems, reacting quickly and paying attention. All of these are particularly important to student athletes, both in school and on the field. After a concussion, performance on these tasks is worse than at baseline.

With this information, a physician can compare the athlete’s pre-injury performance with results from the same tests after a head injury. Therefore, decisions for care can be customized rather than comparing the athlete to others in his or her age group. Though baseline computerized neurocognitive testing is helpful, it is not the only tool used to determine when a student is ready to return to class or the field.

Some schools have programs that require athletes to participate in preseason testing, but some do not. For young athletes in settings that do not provide baseline testing, the hospital’s Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine offers this service in our clinic for athletes ages 10 and up. Please call 469-515-7100 for more information, or request an appointment online.

Learn more about sports concussions and pediatric sports medicine.

Sports can benefit children with ADHD

Sports can benefit children with ADHD

by | Oct 25, 2018 | Sports Medicine

How are ADHD, sports and concussions linked? How can parents best guide their children to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, while calculating the benefits versus possible risks of participating in sports?

For children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sports can offer an outlet for excess energy and help the child focus, but they can also come with a higher risk of injury.

Sports medicine physician Shane M. Miller, M.D. spoke with DFW Child about the relationship between youth sports and ADHD. Miller also discussed concerns about a higher injury risk for children with ADHD, and wants parents to know the following when deciding whether to sign their kid up for athletics:

  • Reinforce positive behavior to help your athlete recognize accomplishments that motivates him or her to remain focused on the goals.
    “There are tremendous benefits to athletics for all children, and that doesn’t change for children with ADHD.”
  • Try to minimize distractions, when possible to prevent your athlete from getting distracted by unrelated sounds and movement.
    “While there is evidence that athletes with ADHD are at a higher risk for injury than athletes without ADHD, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should keep your child on the bench.”
  • Provide simple directions to help your athlete focus on one piece of information at a time.
    “In many cases, playing a sport can help a child with ADHD maintain attention, as athletic movements involving agility, balance and coordination often require intense focus.”
  • Provide consistency in daily routines to help your athlete stay on task and remember his or her responsibilities.
    “In fact, it has been found that even a short bout of exercise can eliminate distractions and help children with ADHD perform better on academic tasks. Many children with ADHD actually see an improvement in grades once they begin playing sports on a regular basis.”
  • Try several sports to help your athlete find a sport that is fun and motivates him or her to be active.
    “We encourage early sport sampling—trying a lot of different sports early on in their childhood to see what suits their abilities and interests. From there, it’s a matter of finding the right sport for your child’s abilities and understanding the precautions that you should take to minimize the risk of injury.”

35. A football player with the number 35 on his jersey
Finding the right activity and creating the right environment may take some time, but is an important step in understanding the precautions you may need to take.

Read more of the Dallas Child article featuring Dr. Miller.

#SRHaccess Facebook Live Recap: Concussions

by | Sep 13, 2018 | Sports Medicine

On this week’s Facebook live, staff physician of the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine, Shane M. Miller, M.D. joined us to discuss sports-related concussions in honor of #TeamUpSpeakUp Day and Sports Medicine Month.
 
Watch the Facebook live.
 
What is #TeamUpSpeakUp?

  • The core message: athletes have a responsibility to report to a team leader if they notice a teammate with concussion symptoms.
  • A good teammate is going to watch out for concussion symptoms amongst their fellow teammates, rather letting them continue to play. If you see something, say something!
  • Pledge to play your part and #TeamUpSpeakUp to fight concussions on the Concussion Legacy Foundations website.

What are some of the repercussions if athletes continue to play with a concussion?

  • Athletes who continue to play with a brain injury are more likely to put themselves at risk for worse injury such as second impact syndrome.
  • Second impact syndrome is a very rare condition in which a second concussion occurs before the initial first concussion has properly healed, causing rapid and severe brain swelling and often catastrophic results. Second impact syndrome can result from even a very mild concussion that occurs days or weeks after the initial concussion.

 
What every parent, coach and young athlete needs to know about sports-related concussions:

  • A concussion is a brain injury that disrupts normal brain function. The usual cause is a sudden blow to the head, neck, or body that shakes the brain, damages cells and creates chemical changes. Knowing if and when a concussion occurs is very important, and there are many dangers to an athlete returning to play before their concussion is fully healed. These dangers include:
    • Additional signs and symptoms
    • Greater severity of signs and symptoms
    • Longer recovery time
    • Greater risk of an additional concussion
    • Long-term brain impairment

What is the importance of reporting a sports-related concussion?

  • About 40% of athletes who suffer from a sports-related concussion continue to play their sport because they do not recognize they are suffering from a brain injury.
  • It’s important for us to #TeamUpSpeakUp, because we simply cannot completely rely on an athlete to self-report a brain injury. Everyone has to work together to insure the safety and well-being of the athlete.

What are some of the symptoms that spectators, players and/or coaches should look for with concussions?

SIGNS
The athlete may:

  • Appear dazed or stunned
  • Appear confused
  • Forget plays
  • Exhibit unsteadiness
  • Lose consciousness
  • Appear sleepier or more tired than usual
  • Seem sad, nervous or anxious

SYMPTOMS 
The athlete may complain of:

  • Headaches
  • Concentration or memory problems
  • Nausea
  • Balance problems or dizziness
  • Double or blurred vision
  • Sensitivity to light or noise
  • Confusion

 How long is the typical recovery time for athletes to return to their sport?

  • 80% of young athletes will recover from their brain injury within three to four weeks.

 Will all the sports medicine services provided at the current Plano campus be available at the new Frisco campus?

  • Yes, plus more! Everything our North Campus offers is going to be moving to the new Frisco campus. We are expanding quite a bit at this campus by providing general orthopedics in hip disorders, scoliosis screening, foot and ankle, shoulder care, along with physical therapy and research in addition to the expansion of our Sports Medicine practice.

What are some of the new services the Frisco Campus will provide?

  • Increased space to utilize more resources for expanded services
  • Operating rooms for day surgeries
  • Movement science lab
  • Physical therapy gym space
  • Overall clinical care advancements and updates to current services

Education regarding the various signs, symptoms and dangers of returning to play too early are crucial for parents, coaches and young athletes. If you notice a bad hit, or any of the signs and symptoms listed above in your athlete or their teammates this season, please speak up. It takes a team to protect our young athletes from concussions.
 

It’s Like a Science Fair for Health Care Professionals

It’s Like a Science Fair for Health Care Professionals

by | Mar 1, 2017 | Sports Medicine

Every year, kids try their hand at developing and conducting scientific research for the science fair. From growing mold to creating electrical circuits, they define their hypothesis, develop testing methods, perform the experiment, and then thoughtfully consider the results.

At Scottish Rite Hospital, we follow the same steps of the scientific method and continually share our results with our peers. Sometimes, we are even eligible for awards when we present our studies at conferences, just like at a local science fair. Our doctors and researchers travel both locally and internationally to present their research findings with the goal of spreading knowledge regarding specific pediatric orthopedic topics.

Recently, our pediatric sports medicine team presented a poster explaining the study and results from a review of sports-related concussion patients at the Texas Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (TACSM) Annual Conference in Waco, Texas. This conference is designed to allow young researchers to showcase their work, receive feedback, and learn from experienced sports medicine researchers during lectures and educational events. The poster was considered as a finalist for the event’s “Doctoral Research Poster Award.” Aaron Zynda, research coordinator on the team, says, “It was an honor to be recognized with other researchers in the field of sports medicine and have the opportunity to present.”

The team previously presented preliminary results of this study at the American Academy of Pediatrics Annual Conference in the fall, but this time they focused on results for soccer players. The findings suggest that the soccer players are consistent with the larger group. Thirty-seven percent answered yes when asked if they continued to play or returned to play on the same day as their injury. An interesting trend was that in this small group, the girls were more likely to continue or return to play. This behavior puts the athlete at risk of having worse symptoms and a longer recovery.

Co-author Shane M. Miller, M.D., says, “The most important component of clinical research is to find out how to apply the results to the athletes that are under our care and others in the community and across the nation.” He’s on his way to Indianapolis to share the results of the larger study at the Youth Sports Safety Summit next week.

Learn more about our work in research, prevention, and clinical care for sports-related concussions.