STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT OF CONCUSSION IN FOOTBALL PLAYERS

The recent formulation of guidelines for the management of concussion in sports adopted by the American Academy of Neurology specifically ca lls for the development of a standardized, systematic sideline evaluat ion for the immediate assessment of concussion in athletes, The presen t study involved the preliminary investigation of the feasibility and clinical validity of a standardized version of a brief sideline examin ation complied in accordance with these guidelines, This examination, intended for use by athletic trainers, was administered by three train ers to 141 nonconcussed high school football players at three separate schools, All players suspected of suffering a concussion (N = 6) duri ng the fall 1995 season were also tested immediately following their i njury. The examination was easily administered and scored, The concuss ed players as a group scored significantly below the nonconcussed cont rols and below their own baseline (pre-injury) performance, despite th eir all having been considered by the trainers to have suffered mild, grade 1 concussions. Although preliminary, these data suggest that a s tandardized sideline examination of this type can be useful in detecti ng concussion and determining fitness to return to play.