Researchers have developed a one-minute sideline test for
athletes, that accurately detects concussion (Image by Wayne
Short)
By developing a simple one-minute sideline test, researchers
at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have
tackled the issue of diagnosing concussion head on. Up until
now, sideline tests for concussion have been vague and often
miss a large spectrum of brain functions that may have been
affected. It is a well-known fact that any concussion left
untreated or ignored may lead to serious or potentially fatal
consequences, thus the Pennsylvanian researchers are eager to
get this simple and effective test into action.
This one-minute test, called the King-Devick (K-D) test,
essentially comes down to the athlete’s ability to read numbers.
By displaying a series of numbers on flash cards to the athlete
and recording the time it takes to respond, any sideline doctor
or coach can instantly determine if concussion has occurred. By
comparing results to the athlete’s baseline test, concussion can
be confidently diagnosed if their response is more than five
seconds slower. The test also checks for impairments of eye
movement, attention, language and other symptoms of impaired
brain function.
“This rapid screening test provides an effective way to
detect early signs of concussion, which can improve outcomes and
hopefully prevent repetitive concussions,” said the study’s
senior author, Laura Balcer, MD, Professor of Neurology,
Ophthalmology and Epidemiology at the
University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “If validated in future
studies, this test has the potential to become a standard
sideline test for athletes.”
In a study of 39 boxers and MMA fighters, post-fight test
times on average for those who suffered head trauma worsened by
11.1 seconds, whilst those who had lost consciousness were on
average 18 seconds slower. It is also worth noting that those
who did not suffer any head trauma improved their times by more
than a second on average.
It is hoped that the King-Devick test will become a standard
procedure for coaches of intense sporting games such as rugby
and boxing, aiding them in their decisions to keep players on or
not. "Concussion is a complex type of brain injury that is not
visible on the routine scans we do of the brain, yet is
detectable when we measure important aspects of brain function,
such as vision," said the study’s lead author, Kristin Galetta,
MS. "The K-D test is only one test on the sidelines, though, and
the diagnosis of concussion requires a combination of tests and
input of medical professionals."
A follow-up study at the University of Pennsylvania will
examine the reliability of the K-D test and changes in athlete
test scores over the course of a season.
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