New Test Helps NFL Teams Detect Concussions

Jan. 26 -- Former New York Jets wide receiver Al Toon described it like a cannonball hitting his head. A neuropsychologist likened the impact to that of a car accident.

They're talking about concussions — jarring blows to the head that result in the brain being slammed against the skull and can lead to dizziness, memory loss and, in extreme cases, even death. When the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants go head-to-head on Super Bowl Sunday, chances are good at least one player will sustain a concussion.

In a sport in which girth is good and a player proves his mettle by sustaining teeth-rattling hits, concussions are an increasing concern among league officials, doctors and players. That's why some NFL teams are beginning to use a new technology called ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), to make them more savvy in evaluating brain injuries and to help them better determine when it's safe to send a player back in to play.

"It's something you don't want to play with," said Rick Burkholder, head athletic trainer for the Philadelphia Eagles, which began using ImPACT late in the season. "If you sprain an ankle, it comes back. If you hurt your brain, it doesn't come back. This is serious stuff."

Concussion Testing Goes High Tech

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons estimates that more than 250,000 head injuries in the U.S. are incurred while playing football at all levels, and that 10 percent of college players and 20 percent of high school players sustain brain injuries in any given season.

What was once known as just "getting your bell rung," concussions are now taken far more seriously as trainers and players get better educated in the long-term effects of brain injury. And because studies have shown that players who have suffered one concussion are at a greater risk to have another, doctors have tried to get a better handle on determining when it's safe to go back on the gridiron.

"I think we're becoming more scientific" about concussions, said Burkholder. "Before, sometimes you'd ask questions and they wouldn't be hard enough. 'Are you OK?' And the player would say, 'Yeah, I just had my bell rung,' and we'd say, 'He seems OK, put him back in.' There were no hard and fast rules, and then we'd see all kinds of problems down the road."