As a service to our community, the Howell Allen Clinic in partnership with Baptist Sports Medicine is making cutting edge treatment accessible to high school students by offering free ImPACT baseline testing.
ImPACT is a sophisticated, research-based computer test developed to help clinicians evaluate an athlete's recovery following concussion. ImPACT is a 20 minute neurocognitive test battery that has been scientifically validated to measure the effects of sports related concussion. In the pre-season, each athlete is given a baseline test. And, when a concussion is suspected, during the season, a follow up test is administered to see if the results have changed from the baseline. This comparison helps to diagnose and manage the concussion.
ImPACT can help answer difficult questions about an athlete's readiness to return to play, protecting them from the potentially serious consequences of returning too soon. While traditional radiological tests such as CT and MRI are helpful in identifying serious brain injuries(e.g. skull fractures, hematomas), they are ineffective at identifying the effects of a concussion. Consequently, clinicians must often rely on subjective observations or patient self-reports to diagnose and track a concussion. This is where ImPACT can help.
Some of the current users include 30 NFL teams, 18 MLB teams, all NHL teams and MLS teams. Dr. Jason Hubbard is the only credentialed ImPACT clinician in middle Tennessee.
If you are interested in your team or school partnering with the Howell Allen Clinic and Baptist Sports Medicine, please call Dr. Hubbard at 327-9543. To learn more about ImPACT go to www.impacttest.com.