Soccer14,

Just got back from MTBI support group. Has a Disabilty Rights Advocate speak. She says there is a program called PATBI (Protection and Advocacy for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury.

They will be under the umbrella of your state Disability Advocacy Agency. These are federally funded and mandated agencies that are available for those needing assistance getting services, such a educational assistance etc.

Check with you local or state BIA Brain Injury Association at http://www.biausa.org/stateoffices.htm
for how to contact your state advocacy agency. Sometimes, these agencies are listed as ADA agencies. Americans with Disabilities Act.

Also check with IDEA at: http://idea.ed.gov/

Consider yourself temporarily disabled, because you are. These agencies are here for you and others like you.

When I was in high school in 1970-73, there were no such advocacy agencies. If there were, my high school experience would have been very different.

Good luck to you.

Hi Soccer

I've never heard of the IMPACT test. It wasn't around when I had all my injuries. What is it?

I have a feeling that, even though I started deteriorating after the worst of my concussions at age 15 (hit by car), and lost my sense of smell and started with central apnea, everything got much worse after I did martial arts for 7 years ending when I was 45. I studied Aikido, which involves being thrown onto the mat a lot. You're trained in how to fall, but you are tumbling and slapping and hitting the mat all the time. I must have been thrown hundreds of times. While it taught me a lot, spiritually, there just wasn't information about aggravating previous injuries with this kind of thing.

Believe me, the person you will be when you are 50 will thank you for saving some brain matter until then. You could spend most of year 55 looking for your car keys... :-).

gershonb

The ImPACT test is a computerized version of a limited neuropsych assessment. The software and testing licenses are purchased and installed on a computer. It is best when the athlete does a start of season baseline. Then, after a head impact, they can tests the athlete to see if there are cognitive problems. If so, the athlete is held out from play. Once the IMPACT test returns to a higher percentage of normal, the athlete is allowed to return to play.

I studied the system after it was featured on a news report here in the Boise area. It appears to be used primarily to support a coach or trainer's decision to hold a athlete out from play. It gives objective evidence of cognitive dysfunction that can convince athletes and their parents that continued play is a risk. It allows return to play too early by my understanding. It also helps with insurance claims by having an 'objective' way to decide return to play issues.

The primary weakness of the ImPact Test is its inability to predict second impact risks. It only measures limited neuro-psychological performance. The developers even state that it should be used along with other data such as location and intensity of the impact.

It primary value is to determine if an athlete has a cognitive dysfunction that puts the athlete at additional risk of another head injury due to poor reaction times, poor judgment skills, or poor motor coordination.

These neuropsych parameters can appear normal but the brain can still be very susceptible to a second impact risk. After a concussion, the brain will ALWAYS be more susceptipble to a second impact, even decades later.

Second or multiple impact risks are the important issue to be considered before returning an athlete to play. The research shows that concussions received subsequent to a first concussion to far more damage relative to the impact force. This damage can increase at an exponential rate for some brains.

Some researchers have even started using a term of "sub-concussion impact" to define a less than concussion force that still causes brain damage. These sub-concussion impacts can be very damaging, especially under two circumstances: closely following a previous concussion and when the sub-concussion forces are repetitive as in a ball heading drill in soccer or helmet to helmet contact in football.

So, the ImPACT test is to be used to determine a minimum level of recovery, not a safe level of recovery.

I believe it creates a false sense of security about return to play decisions.

Man i hate this test i think overall ive done it 10 times. my reaction time has never been bad in fact ive scored 100 and 99 percent through out the multiple times ive taken it. what is usually low is my memory score i have scored less than 1 percent many times. its frustrating but well see what happens next time i take it and i really do hope to be able to play basketball this year im hoping at least

Great article, Mark. Thanks.

Soccer:
My daughter took the IMPACT test only 3 times and the last time, a year ago, showed no statistical improvement, yet she was doing much better in school and overall. That's what we focused on, not the test results. I know the authorities want concrete, quantifiable results, but they are not the be all and end all.
It's apparent how much basketball means to you and I hope that eventually you'll be able to return to the game, but I urge you to heed previous advice from so many and don't rush it.

yea it doesnt start for another month so thats good and ive started doing work outs with a trainer and nothing has flared up or been affected were slowing building up the intensity level so we dont rush it but so far it has been great

soccer14,

Please keep in mind that the primary concern should be preventing a second impact. Your skill set for school work and athletics may recover to an almost complete level but your susceptibility to a devastating second impact will still be high.

Your current struggles with memory should be considered seriously. I endured many minor concussions that I appeared to recover from, aside from the personality changes, insomnia and headaches. I was able to retrain my brain with math exercises, etc. When my memory was damaged in 2001, my whole world changed. It has not been the same since.

I can tell you that living with dysfunctional memory is the worst. I have a friend in a wheel chair from a back injury. I am sometimes envious of her. Her brain, especially memory works fine. What I would give up to have a properly functioning memory.

Hey Soccer,

I'm not encouraging you at all to return to any sort of contact sport, but if you are set on doing so, please read up on Larry Johnson and his recovery. He had to sit out from all activities for at least a year before he even began working out.

Dude, you are young and you have plenty of time to play soccer, or basketball, or whatever. Coming from an athlete that played at a really high level, returning too soon ain't worth spending the rest of your life having to worry about your head. You seem like a really smart person, but this is a very unwise choice. Believe me, when you get out in the real world, no one will care if you played soccer or basketball when you were in high school. They'll only care about how well your brain works. Just a thought I hope you ponder on...

Darn it, I wasn't trying to quote, but its a good one.

Soccer, the thing is that your memory is not good right now. I would definately have the school work with you by doing a 504 for you. They can do this with a doctor's note for the concussion.

In the state of Indiana the group to help with education is called IN*SOURCE.
I am a Regional Program Specialist for them. This is my job. Each state has a agency that does just this.

I really enjoy my job. Most of us that work with parents to help get the best education for their kids do.

I also work with some of the kids and their parents both. And I have to say
its very rewarding when a child takes a real interest in what the school can do for them

Donna