Miami University Boasts "Premier" Concussion Management Program For NCAA Athletes, Officials Say

Miami University has a well-developed protocol for evaluating student athletes for concussions

For varsity and club athletes alike, college athletics are an exhilarating escape from their academic lives. However, even the most innocuous of sports can lead to lasting injury.

The NCAA requires every school to create and follow concussion protocol, and is in the midst of a $30 million study to find out more about the effects of serious head trauma.

Miami developed one of the "premier" concussion management programs in America, says Dr. Kelly Knollman-Porter, director of the school's concussion management program.

Miami requires varsity athletes to take three baseline tests prior to participating in collegiate sports.

According to Miami's director of sports medicine, Dr. Steven Dailey, trainers initially administer the King-Devick test to measure cognition, the BEST test to measure balance, and a neuropsychological impact test.

Dailey emphasized that computerized concussion tests cannot be rigged – thus making them more effective.

Dailey said these three tests are intended to provide a comprehensive baseline of an athlete's normal mental ability so that if they get head trauma, there is an objective level of comparison for trainers and doctors to evaluate. This was not the case prior to the early 2000s, when there was no objective way to measure symptoms.

Knollman-Porter says the stigma surrounding concussions has changed along with the technology.

As coaches and athletes become more aware of the lasting repercussions of head injuries, they are more prone to reveal their symptoms to doctors. Still, says Knollman-Porter, relying on self-diagnosis isn't foolproof.

"If you look at the larger medical research, women are more likely to go seek medical attention and ask to go to the hospital and ask to go seek input from a physician over men," says Knollman-Porter, who has studied brain damage for 25 years. She says self-censorship is always an issue, especially for athletes who have a starting position or are on the verge of a breakthrough.

Dailey says there is no way to eliminate concussions altogether.

A study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine reported that concussion rates for college athletes increased in every sport except men's wrestling between 2009 and 2014. The study speculates that the rates have gone up due to increased reporting rather than a higher frequency of concussions.

The NCAA and Department of Defense launched the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) consortium in 2014, and nearly 29,000 varsity athletes and service academy cadets are enrolled in the study. Of that group, 1,931 concussions were found as of March 2017.

At Miami, football, women's field hockey, ice hockey, and soccer are the sports in which athletes are most likely to be concussed, which is in line with national trends.

Dailey and Knollman-Porter also say there is a surprisingly high risk of cheerleaders and basketball players getting concussions.

Original story at Patch.com