sideline evaluation concussion

A test for disturbed eye movements has the potential to provide rapid and accurate sideline screening for concussion on the sports sideline, says a new study in the journal Neurology. The King-Devick (K-D) test measuring the speed of rapid number naming is an accurate and reliable method for identifying athletes who should be removed from a game or practice for further evaluation, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found.

The emerging model of sport concussion assessment now involves the use of brief screening tools to evaluate post-concussion signs and symptoms on the sideline immediately after a concussion and neuropsychological testing to track recovery further out from the time of injury. One of the tools of value for sideline evaluation is called the Standardized Assessment of Concussion.

Game officials are often in the best position to detect the subtle signs of concussions in athletes during a game but are not often given the power to order a sideline evaluation and assessment of concussion and few have received concussion education.