Eye on Health: Concussions - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Eye on Health: Concussions

Whether you are attending a wrestling match, basketball game, or hockey game this season, you will notice the athletic trainers from Trinity Sports Medicine.  
Recently, those trainers were equipped with the latest technology in diagnosing concussions and various other injuries.  
Carla Burbidge has this week's Eye on Health.

If an athlete takes a blow to the head, it can lead to a traumatic brain injury, and that can lead to serious consequences.
Quick diagnoses and treatment is essential.  
When an injury occurs during the game, the athletic trainer rushes in, using a handheld computer, the 'iPad,' as an assessment pool.  
A brand new concussion application that recently became available is now in use by the trainers though Trinity Sports Medicine.  
(Robyn Gust, Trinity Sports Medicine Coordinator) "We can document during the game, and make sure that we get everything in there right away. It's really up to date and a thorough assessment. It's standardized, there's no waving from one way or the other in this type of assessment. We know that each athlete is going to be tested in the same way, no matter who is performing the assessment on the athlete."
As Robyn shows us, the trainer has access to a series of questions, the computer will tally the answers and determine the degree of concussion.
Extremely helpful when a concussion occurs, also for every injury.
(Robyn Gust, Trinity Sports Medicine Coordinator) "We're able to see every injury that any of our athletes have had right on the iPad once we pull up their record. I can see that they're allergic to penicillin, maybe they're diabetic. Whatever their medical history might be, I have that right with me when I'm at the game, as long as they are an athlete that works with Trinity Sports Medicine."
So when you're watching someone you care about during an upcoming sporting event, what a comfort to know that the trainers on the sidelines, have access to better care, with their fingertips.  
For Eye on Health I'm Carla Burbidge.