Baseline tests 'may not improve athlete's outcomes' in brain injuryRSS Feed

Baseline concussion tests may not improve the outcome for athletes with the brain injury, research has shown.

A Loyola University Health System study found that the tests are likely to have a high rate of false negatives, which indicate an athlete has recovered from the brain injury when in actuality they have not.

Neuropsychologist Christopher Randolph wrote in journal Current Sports Medicine Reports that this could potentially increase the risk of putting athletes back in play who would otherwise be withheld for a longer time.

A baseline test provides a score of an athlete's attention span, working memory and reaction time. If the athlete is involved in an incident, they retake the test and if there is a significant decrease in the post-concussion score, they are usually out of play until the score increases.

Randolph said: "There is no evidence to suggest that the use of baseline testing alters any risk from sport-related concussion, nor is there even a good rationale as to how such tests might influence outcome."

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have said that a compound found in red wine and grapes could be used to treat the long and short term effects of concussion.

News by Serious Law. Expert legal assistance for those affected by brain injury

Posted by Matthew Heap
 

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