by ANTHONY TAGLIAFERRO Staff Writer
Monroe Township Board of Education approved impact testing for the district’s athletic program during December’s meeting to help diagnose and prevent head related injury.
Impact testing is a prevention method to help aid in discovery of concussions among athletes.
Doctors compare results from pre-head injury to post testing to help diagnosis a concussion or head- related injury. It is common for a doctor to have trouble diagnosing a concussion because of the dangerous and troubling task of CAT scans and head examinations.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1.4 and 3.6 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur each year, with the majority happening at the high school level. Because many mild concussions go undiagnosed and unreported, it is difficult to estimate the rate of concussion in any sport, but studies estimate that at least 10 to 20 percent of all athletes involved in contact sports have a concussion each season.
The test consists of multiple memory/matching based tests. It is a bit lengthy, lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour. The impact testing is taken on the computer by entering an entry code to a website that brings participants to the test.
The test helps scientists determine if an athlete has a concussion. A doctor can compare your results from pre-season impact testing to after a head/neck injury.
The test material was simple, but can cause headache from the concentration.
Freshman first baseman Kyle Daly said, “The test wasn’t difficult, but it was tiring and long. The concentration on the screen gave me a headache though.”
Daly has received multiple (three) head injuries, but no diagnosed concussions. He was struck twice with pitches over 80 mph. He had serious headaches so he went to the doctor’s office, but they had a difficult time diagnosing him with a concussion.
The impact testing would have helped diagnosis Daly, and possible save him from a future illness.
Athletic trainers, Mr. Nate Cogdill and assistant Mrs. Michelle McCorkle agree strongly with the impact testing course. It makes their jobs a little easier because as high school trainers, they deal a lot with head impact injuries.
Assistant to Mr. Cogdill, senior Nick Isola said,”I see a lot of kids come through the office with headaches. I can see how stressful it is on the players.”
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