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It has been estimated that for every concussion that occurs in the NFL, there are 5000
athletes in high school or younger suffering similar head injuries. This comes out to over 400,000 concussions per year.
The short and long term consequences of these mild head injuries have only recently begun to be understood and appreciated.
They can lead to symptoms ranging from difficulties with concentration and memory, to sleep disturbances, depression and school
failure. It is crucial that any athlete that has had or is even suspected of having had a concussion not be allowed to return
to play until evaluated and cleared by a physician experienced in evaluating brain injury. Returning to play too early can
result in prolongation of symptoms as well as make the athlete more vulnerable to more serious or even catastrophic head injuries.
At the core of these evaluations are newly developed neurocognitive tests such as the ImPACT test which we utilize
to determine the extent of injury and when it is adviseable to return to play. This is the same test used by Major League
Baseball, its umpires, the NFL, NHL, NBA and over 360 colleges and universities.
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