09 Aug Concussions During Fall Sports
Playing sports such as football can be a fun, healthy way to keep active during the Fall. However, it is important to be aware of the potential injuries that can develop as a result of participating in Fall sports. Each year high school athletes develop thousands of concussions, most occurring during practice or games of football, ice hockey, and soccer. Leaving a concussion untreated can be seriously dangerous, which is why it is important to understand the symptoms of a concussion, and how easily it can be diagnosed and treated.
What is a Concussion?
A concussion is an injury to the brain as a result of a direct or indirect impact to the head. The impact causes the brain to move rapidly back and forth within the skull, damaging brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain. Most concussions occur during practice or games in sports, and most concussions do not result in a loss of consciousness. It is impossible to see a concussion, which is why it is important to understand the potential symptoms of a concussion.
Symptoms of a Concussion
- Physical – headache, nausea, dizziness, blurry vision, sensitivity to light or noise, feeling tired
- Emotional – Anxiety, sadness, irritability
- Thinking & Remembering – difficulty concentrating, memory problems, feeling sluggish or hazy
- Sleep – sleeping more or less than usual, difficulty sleeping
Leaving a concussion untreated is the worst possible thing to do. An untreated concussion will allow concussion symptoms to take a toll. Additionally, just a single concussion can increase the risk of getting another one. Returning to activity or sports can have devastating consequences, such as second-impact syndrome which can be fatal. Even if you think there is a slight chance you have a concussion, it is worth getting checked out. Here at New York Sports Medicine Institute, we offer concussion treatment in Westchester with state-of-the-art equipment and staff. Receiving a diagnosis can be as simple as watching a 4-minute video. The newest and innovative concussion test, called the EyeBOX can help provide the information your physician needs.
EyeBOX
Recently approved by the FDA, the EyeBOX is the newest state-of-the-art concussion test. EyeBOX technology rapidly generates an assessment without the need for a baseline test. This allows the results to be genuine, and can’t be influenced by the patient. EyeBOX is accessible to everyone, as it has no literary or language fluency requirements, allowing verbally impaired patients to be assessed by EyeBOX devices without an issue.
Steps
- You watch an engaging, 4-minute video clip.
- The EyeBOX device watches your eye movements with a safe, high frequency camera.
- The EyeBOX test produces a BOX score to give your physician more insight on your condition.
An objective way to assess concussions
- The EyeBOX technology is based on subtle eye movement abnormalities that can not be detected with a clinical examination
- The EyeBOX test is a tool that may help your physician find out if your eye movements are consistent with a concussion
- EyeBOX results are combined with the results of other testing to decide the best treatment for the patient
- EyeBOX technology has been the subject of 9 peer-reviewed studies
At New York Sports Medicine Institute, we are proud to be one of the first and only providers in New York to offer EyeBOX testing to their comprehensive concussion evaluation. If you have recently suffered a head injury, the experienced staff at New York Sports Medicine Institute can offer concussion treatment in Westchester to get you back to your daily life as fast and efficient as possible. Leaving a concussion untreated can be extremely dangerous, so don’t hesitate to get in contact with us today!