Concussion Information (Players and Coaches)
KSTP Channel 5 News Story on Concussion Awareness
FOR PLAYERS: Annual Concussion Baseline Testing Program (optional)
Since 2011, Minnetonka Girls Basketball Association has partnered with other Minnetonka youth sports associations to provide easy access to concussion baseline testing for our players (and their siblings if desired). This is completely optional and is provided as a convenience to our families.
1. Age for testing
- Anyone who is at least 10 years old on the day of testing
- Parents can also do the testing, if there is enough spaces for players/students
2. Who should do the IMPACT testing?
- Any player in a contact sport
3. Does it need to be done every year?
- Yes, kids are changing so much developmentally, they need to repeat it every year for most accurate results.
4. What happens to the results?
- North Memorial stores the results for at least one year. If your child has a concussion, seek medical advice, the facility you are working with can contact North Memorial with a signed release from you to receive the baseline IMPACT test.
OPEN TO ALL GIRLS AND BOYS IN ANY SPORTS!!!!!!!!!!!
Sponsored by Minnetonka Youth Hockey Association and Minnetonka Football Association.
Questions: Maria McGannon, mcmcgannon@comcast.net
FOR COACHES: Minnesota's Concussion Law Requires Online Training for All Coaches
MGBA is required to implement concussion training and education to improve player safety and establish safe return-to-play policies for athletes who sustain a concussion.
- All coaches (head and assistants) and officials receive concussion training and education by September 1, 2011, and then at three-year intervals thereafter.
- Coaches must remove an athlete from activity if they exhibit signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion and/or are suspected of sustaining a concussion.
- The law also requires an appropriate health care professional's signature to return to play if an athlete is removed due to a concussion or is showing signs or symptoms of a concussion.
Two free online video training courses are available: Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Federation of State High Schools. This course requires registration but is free. Over 200,000 coaches and officials have already successfully completed this course.
The training process involves watching a video and then successfully completing a quiz. The entire training module can be completed in a little over a half an hour and then participants can print out a certificate on their desktop or print and scan the certificate to create a digital file.
Certification Tracking
Please upload a copy of your concussion certification at the link below. Per MN State Law, coaches and assistant coaches are required to complete this each three years.
The Registration "Concussion Information (Players and Coaches)" is not currently available.
From the CDC
Player Concussion Baseline Testing Program
Dear Parent:
North Memorial and the Institute for Athletic Medicine (IAM) 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 provided by North Memorial and IAM 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 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.
We a permission form that must be completed and signed if your child wishes to participate. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have.
Sincerely,
Jason Cardosi, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
(763) 520-7374
jason.cardosi@northmemorial.com
