By Annette Pinder

Coach Consoling Dejected Football Player

Kurt played football for his high school team, excelled at everything he did, and his coach and teammates counted on him. When he experienced several blows to his head, he didn’t tell anyone. “No big deal,” he thought. After all, he didn’t even understand what a concussion was, and he didn’t want the coach to pull him out of the game. After all, sitting on the sidelines was worse than anything that could happen, wasn’t it?

One day, after a simple tackle, Kurt appeared stunned. Despite Kurt’s protests, the coach took him out of the game. Minutes later the coach screamed for Kurt’s dad, who recalls, “It was like there was no one there when I looked into his eyes – they were blank and his pupils were dilated. As a nurse, I knew it was a serious brain injury.” Today Kurt, just 24, is no longer the capable young man with a bright future. He is dependent upon his Dad help him navigate life. He speaks slowly, saying, “If I had it to do over again, I’d play it more safely.” Like many young athletes, Kurt suffered from second impact syndrome, a condition in which a second concussion occurs before a first concussion has healed, causing severe and rapid brain swelling. His brain damage is permanent.

Now Jennifer McVige, who heads the Concussion Center at DENT Neurologic Institute, is on a mission to educate parents, students, and coaches about the seriousness of concussion. She says, “Athletes, and particularly young athletes, are most at risk for head injuries, and second impact syndrome.”

Second impact injury can occur within minutes of a first concussion, making it important for athletes to remain on the sidelines until they are examined by a neurologist. Symptoms can include dilated pupils, loss of eye movement, appearance of being stunned, unconsciousness, sudden collapse, and respiratory failure. Dr. McVige says, “The brain is highly vulnerable, even after minimal impact, which can cause difficulty with speech, cognitive and sensory skills, perception, and social and emotional interactions.”

What can parents, coaches and young athletes do? Dr. McVige cites the Buffalo Junior Sabres, for whom DENT is the team medical provider, as a great example. Each team member undergoes baseline testing using a computer-based system called IMPACT. It assesses their visual and verbal memory, processing speed and reaction time, which then serves as baseline for comparison in the event of a subsequent injury. The center’s neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, pediatric neurologists, and imaging specialists determine if the athlete can return to play. Issues such as mood and cognitive disorders, headaches or dizziness and balance are also addressed, and athletes are frequently counseled with regard to feelings of depression which often accompany a concussion.

Dr. McVige clearly understands the disappointment involved in being taken out of play, but says it is dangerous to minimize the significance of a concussion or its symptoms. Now she is reaching out to local schools and coaches to introduce them to the IMPACT Testing Program, and encourages those who are interested to call her at 250-2000.