Evaluation

Any athlete who suffers a concussion should be evaluated by a trained health care provider. The evaluation initially will focus on a complete history of the injury including the specific characteristics of the mechanism of injury and development of symptoms. Next, the evaluation will focus on the physical examination. This includes an examination of the eye's responsiveness to light, strength of the arms and legs, and balance skill testing. Additional tests focused on memory, concentration and attention, and speed of processing information should be done. If these basic examination tests are normal, a more detailed examination of the athlete's cognitive ("thinking") abilities should be performed. The current standard for this aspect of the examination is to test the athlete by using a computerized test that challenges the athlete in memory, concentration, attention, and processing speed areas. Several different computerized tests are available to the medical team. These tests allow for a very thorough evaluation of the athlete with particular attention being paid to the brain's most complex and sophisticated abilities.