PD Sports

The Wyoming Area Football Parents Association (WAFPA) purchased a concussion management system that monitors and evaluates athletes who have sustained concussions. The system, called ImPACT, stands for Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing. The ImPACT system helps physicians, athletic trainers and coaches determine when a player who has sustained a concussion can safely return to action.

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Wyoming Area football players taking an ImPact test before the season.

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In the United States, the annual incidence of sports-related concussions is estimated at 300,000. Some estimates show that one in 10 high school athletes will experience a concussion. Athletes that are not fully recovered from an initial concussion are vulnerable for recurrent, cumulative and even catastrophic consequences of a second concussive injury.

At the beginning of a sports season, before an injury occurs, athletes take a half-hour baseline ImPACT test on a PC in the computer lab, under the supervision of the athletic trainer to measure “normal” neurocognitive ability.

In the event that the athlete suffers a concussion, he or she can then be re-tested in the computer lab. The test results are then compared with the player’s previous baseline test to determine the extent of the brain injury. When the post-injury tests return back to the player’s baseline “normal”, then the decision, supported by the ImPACT test results, can be made regarding the athlete’s fitness to return to play.

Concussions do not only occur in football. They have the potential to happen in other sports like ice hockey, soccer, field hockey, baseball, basketball, and wrestling. The ImPACT concussion management system will be available to all Wyoming Area athletes. The cost of the package is $750 per year. The first year is being paid in full by WAFPA. This ImPACT package allows baseline testing up to 600 athletes and 60 post-injury tests.

The ImPACT system is used by the majority of teams in the NFL and Major League Baseball. College teams like Penn State, Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, and Wilkes use the ImPACT system. A growing number of high schools in the area also utilize the system.

Wyoming Area varsity and junior varsity players football, who have obtained parent consent, tok ImPACT baseline test. Plans are being made for other Wyoming Area teams to be offered ImPACT baseline tests.

More information on the ImPACT program can be found at www.impacttest.com. Contact trainer Laura Mudlock for further details on the Wyoming Area program.