Concussion Assessment Tools

Which one is the best?

There are more and more concussion assessment tools and devices emerging as more research and funding is being spent towards concussion prevention and management, specifically in relation to sports-related concussions. Health practitioners are looking for a quick and reliable concussion test for sideline use. Devices like Abott’s i-STAT™ Alinity™ handheld device that measures blood proteins thought to be associated with head trauma (Sattar, 2021) and the Riddel SpeedFlex helmet, a smart helmet that alerts medical staff of notable impact, are gaining interest (Willick, 2019). Although there are new innovative technologies emerging, the most common tests employed have been around for more than a decade. The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) was first developed in 2005 and has since been revised 5 times (Yengo-Kahn et al., 2016). The Romberg test for balance has been used clinically for 150 years (Reicke, 1992). Between the new and the old, is there truly a gold standard for concussion testing? Below is a table compiled of the most common and well tested concussion assessment tools. Although some maybe more sensitive or specific than others, they’re advantages and disadvantages with all. Therefore, as research has highlighted, the most effective tool is a multi-faceted one; a combination of a variety of tests, so that different systems affected by concussion can be assessed (Dessy et al., 2017). This is important to remember as companies continue to produce newer technologies.  

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References

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Dessy, A. M., Yuk, F. J., Maniya, A. Y., Gometz, A., Rasouli, J. J., Lovell, M. R., & Choudhri, T. F. (2017). Review of Assessment Scales for Diagnosing and Monitoring Sports-related Concussion. Cureus, 9(12), e1922.https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.1922 

Galetta, K. M., Liu, M., Leong, D. F.,Ventura, R. E., Galetta, S. L., & Balcer, L. J. (2016). The King-Devick test of rapid number naming for concussion detection: meta-analysis and systematic review of the literature. Concussion, 1(2). doi: 10.2217/cnc.15.8  

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Schatz, P., & Sandel, N. (2013). Sensitivity and specificity of the online version of ImPACT in high school and collegiate athletes. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 41(2), 321-326. doi: 10.1177/0363546512466038 

Sattar, N. (2021, January 16). Traumatic Brain Injury Detected in 15 Minutes. MEDizzy Journal. https://journal.medizzy.com/traumatic-brain-injury-detected-in-15-minutes/ 

Vestibular Oculomotor Motor Screening (VOMS) Assessment. (2021, June 22). Physiopedia. Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://www.physio-pedia.com/index.php title=Vestibular_Oculomotor_Motor_Screening_(VOMS)_Assessment&oldid=277014. 

Willick, F. (2019, April 26). Dal's high-tech football helmets can help detect concussions from the sidelines. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/dalhousie-university-football-helmets-concussion-technology-1.5113888 

Yengo-Kahn, A. M., Hale, A. T., Zalneraitis, B. H.,Zuckerman, S. L., Sills, A. K., & Solomon, G. S. (2016). The SportConcussion Assessment Tool: a systematic review. Neurosurgical Focus, 40(4), E6. https://doi.org/10.3171/2016.1.FOCUS15611