A Simple Device to Detect Concussions (Wow!)

The start this month of high school and college football seasons across the country renews concerns about the issue of repeated head impacts and how to manage or, preferably, avoid concussions. Unfortunately, the resources to deal with the problem remain limited. Newly released, state-of-the-art football helmets, for instance, may measure how much force each player’s head is absorbing and relay that data via telemetry to trainers on the sidelines, but at $1,500 or so per helmet, they are unattainable for most teams.
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One means of assessing concussion status, Dr. Broglio continued, is to look at a player’s reaction time, since it is known to increase immediately after a concussion. A variety of scientifically validated tools exist to measure players’ reaction times, but most require a computer and sophisticated software, and are not practicable on the sidelines or in the budgets of many teams.
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To use the device, an evaluator simply holds it in front of an athlete who is seated at a table with one arm resting on the surface and his hand at the table’s edge. The evaluator aligns the puck with the bottom of the athlete’s hand and lets go. The athlete catches the falling stick. The evaluator marks where his hand lands, and, voila, a coach or trainer has a baseline measure of someone’s reaction time. Theoretically, should a player later be suspected of having sustained a concussion, the trainer could pull out the dowel-puck, repeat the test, and, if the player’s reaction time were slower, conclude that he or she likely was concussed.
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“We’re not saying” that the dowel test is definitive, Dr. Broglio said. Concussions remain highly individualized, differing in severity and presentation from player to player. “The more tests that are used to assess” a player’s brain health, he said, “the better.” But the dowel measurement has the advantage of being readily available to any team, he points out, no matter how small their resources, if their will to protect their players is sufficiently ample.
Much more:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2013/08/14/a-simple-device-to-detect-concussions/?_r=0&

This could make a huge difference. Everybody has the ability to use this test. If they are rigorous in adhering to the simple standards in using this, it can provide timely and invaluable info. No more excuses.