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It is estimated that between 10 to 15% of athletes in high-risk sports experience a concussion each year. Even more concerningly, it’s estimated that more than 50% of concussions are not reported to coaches, trainers or medical professionals. Leaving a concussion untreated can have severe ramifications, as early treatment and management of this injury can limit ongoing issues and assist people who still have symptoms.

While concussions are an unavoidable part of some sports, parents, coaches and players need to be aware that the management of a concussion is vital to one’s recovery. Most complications rarely arise from the initial head knock, but rather from how the concussion is managed post-impact. An important tool one can use to ensure the injury is managed effectively is A comprehensive multimodal baseline test performed in the pre-season.

Baseline data can be used by any medical professional to guide their decision-making regarding diagnosis, rehabilitation, and the safe return to school, work, and sport.

Concussion management has come to the forefront of Australian media in recent years, as concerns grow amongst the public about the incidence of sport-related head injuries and the potential health ramifications for athletes of all levels.

Before a knock to the head occurs, baseline testing sets the foundations for assessing the impact of a head injury on the brain. It allows medical professionals to use previous information about a person’s own brain without injury to diagnose a concussion and facilitate recovery, rather than relying on symptoms alone.

Simply put, concussion management is the process from start to finish of diagnosing, managing, rehabilitating, and monitoring a patient who has received a concussive injury due to a blow to the head or body. For all-inclusive concussion management, pre-emptive steps can also be taken in the form of baseline testing.