There are still another few weeks of Summer to enjoy, but September is just around the corner and it marks the start of a new season for athletes who participate in football, hockey, soccer and many other high impact sports. It’s also the perfect time of year to get your concussion baseline testing completed. The most recent International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport suggest “completing comprehensive baseline tests prior to the start of the season offers health care professionals valuable and objective information to help them make difficult return to play decisions. It also provides an additional educative opportunity to teach athletes about concussions. Furthermore, the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, Ontario Psychological Association, The Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine, and the Center for Disease and Control all support and recommend the use of baseline testing in high-risk athletes to help manage concussions and the return to play decision making.
Unfortunately, there is no single clinical test that can be done to know when an athlete has fully recovered from a concussion. Furthermore, symptom resolution occurs much sooner than brain recovery, which may put athletes at risk for returning to sport too quickly, especially if sport clearance is based solely on symptoms. How are health practitioners, coaches and parents supposed to know when an athlete is ready to return to sport? In order to know when an athlete has fully recovered, the different areas of the brain that could potentially be affected with a concussion must be assessed, including:
- Balance;
- Strength;
- Reaction time;
- Neurocognitive performance;
- and visual processing.
These different test results need be compared to pre-injury values in order to know when an athlete has returned to their normal pre-concussion baseline values. As such, the best way to ensure that you return to sport safely following a concussion is to get baseline tested before a concussion even occurs. At Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinics in Oakville and Burlington we offer the most comprehensive concussion baseline testing of any sports medicine clinic in the Burlington, Mississauga and Oakville area.
Why choose us for baseline testing?
Most clinics will tell you that they provide concussion baseline testing, but that doesn’t mean they do it properly. Traditional baseline programs focus solely on computerized neuropsychological tests, such as the ImPACT test. Although vital for assessing neurocognitive function, the Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine (CASM) suggests that neuropsychological tests should not be used in isolation, since they only address one aspect of concussion. In order to properly manage concussions a baseline test must be multidimensional, assessing the full spectrum of concussion outcomes (i.e., balance, reaction time, visual processing, physical capacity).
All of the therapists at Sheddon Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic have undergone extensive training with the Complete Concussion Management program in order to be educated with the most recent research-proven concussion management strategies. CASM and the Canadian Concussion Collaborative strongly promote a multidisciplinary approach to concussion management, which extends beyond the family doctor to include health care professionals with developed skills and expertise in concussions. Sheddon currently has 11 highly trained therapists qualified to assess and treat concussions, including, a sports medicine physician, chiropractor, athletic therapist and several physiotherapists. With such a large staff trained in concussions we offer flexible hours and days for assessments, baseline testing and treatment.
We are one of the top private clinics in Canada in volume of concussion baseline testing through Complete Concussion Managaement. In addition, we have successfully treated hundreds of sports-related concussions and have an extensive network of specialists, including a sports medicine physician, vestibular physiotherapists, chiropractors and athletic therapists. We offer the highest quality of concussion testing and management in the Burlington, Mississauga and Oakville area. If you are interested in learning more about our baseline testing for individual athletes or teams, please contact us t 905-849-4576a.
We are located only 6 min East of Oakville Place and 4 min from Oakville & Milton Humane Society.
The Burlington physio clinic is located only 6 min north-west of Joseph Brant Hospital and 2 min south-west of Mapleview Shopping Centre, on Plains Rd East.
