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North Memorial Offers Athletes Valuable Pre-concussion Assessments
North Memorial Rehabilitation Services and the Institute for Athletic Medicine (a service of Fairview and North Memorial) are working with area high schools to help ensure a safe return to activity for young athletes after they have suffered an injury — particularly after a concussion. As part of this effort, we are visiting schools to conduct a safe, quick and inexpensive health assessment that could prove invaluable when treating a young athlete following a concussion.
Research has demonstrated that neurocognitive testing is a cornerstone of proper post-injury care and contributes significantly to the understanding of recovery following a concussion. The neurocognitive assessment we provide is called ImPACT" (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing).
Developed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, ImPACT is a software tool used to evaluate multiple aspects of neurocognitive function, including memory, attention, brain processing speed, reaction time, and post-concussion symptoms. Here’s how it works:
- With parental permission, an athlete participates in a 30-minute computer-based assessment to develop his or her baseline neurocognitive report. The assessment is very affordable at just $2.
- The report will be saved for one year in North Memorial’s database (we recommend young athletes be screened every year due to the unique cognitive development of adolescents). In the event that an athlete sustains a concussion, the baseline report can be made available to any school or health care professional who participates in that individual’s care and recovery.
- Ideally, the ImPACT assessment would be administered a second time (post-injury), and results are then compared to the first assessment to help determine the presence and extent of any neurocognitive deficits.
It is important to point out that an ImPACT assessment conducted after an injury can still provide valuable treatment and recovery information even if an athlete never participated in a baseline assessment.
For more information about ImPACT assessments or North Memorial’s Concussion Management Program overall, call Jason Cardosi, Speech Language Pathologist, at (763) 520-7374 or email jason.cardosi@northmemorial.com.
Update: North Memorial has punctuated its commitment to concussion management by becoming a Credentialed ImPACT Consultant. To become a Credentialed ImPACT Consultant" an organization must demonstrate that it has appropriate education, training, and experience with the ImPACT program.
