New Tool Assesses the ImPACT of Concussions – Frye Regional Working With Local Student Athletes To Prevent and Treat Injuries

HICKORY, NC (October 6, 2016)…Injury, particularly traumatic brain injuries such as concussions, remain a concern for all athletes. Recently, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, Jr., announced he will forgo the rest of the 2016 racing season after his latest bout with a concussion.

For local student athletes participating in contact sports, concussions are a major concern. Frye Regional supplies athletic trainers to work at three local high schools. Last year, Frye’s athletic trainers treated 98 student athletes who experienced a concussion.

Athletic trainers from Frye are now better equipped to measure the impact of a brain injury with the investment in new technology called ImPACT, the only concussion management tool that has clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration. Frye is the only health system in Catawba and Caldwell counties that has invested in ImPACT.

Athletic trainers Nick Seiler, Lisa Barron and Mark Davis and have used ImPACT’s Neurocognitive Testing to conduct baseline studies on more than 1,000 students at Fred T. Foard, South Caldwell and Hickory High (about 350 athletes per school) who participate in contact sports (football, volleyball, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, etc.). If that student has a brain injury, the baseline ImPACT study will be used to measure the degree of concussion symptoms and neurocognitive measures such as verbal memory, visual memory and reaction time. After a suspected concussion, the athlete is retested and a trained healthcare provider will compare those results to the pre-established baseline. The test data will allow the healthcare provider to determine when return to activity is appropriate.

While traditional neurological and radiological procedures such as CT and MRI are helpful in identifying serious brain injuries (like skull fractures and hematomas), they don’t identify the functional effects of concussion.

“For parents and students, it’s a relief to know we are using an objective measurement tool available to assess the impact of a traumatic brain injury and to ensure safe return to competition,” said Nick Seiler, Athletic Trainer from Frye Regional Medical Center. “ImPACT is used by hundreds of professional sports teams (including the NFL and NHL), NASCAR, the Army and Navy and thousands of colleges and high schools around the country. We are proud to bring this to our area’s high school programs.”

About Concussions
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury, and may be caused by a direct blow to the head, face or neck or an indirect blow elsewhere to the body which transmits an impulsive force to the head. The signs and symptoms of a concussion may appear minutes or hours following the injury. While most concussion symptoms can be categorized into four distinct classes, each individual who has sustained a concussion will experience a unique combination of symptoms:
1. Physical: Loss of consciousness, headaches, nausea, sensitivity to light, dizziness, balance problems, etc.
2. Cognitive: Slowed reaction times, feeling mentally “foggy,” confusion, problems with memory, concentration, etc.
3. Emotional/behavioral alterations: Irritability, emotional, atypical personality changes, mood swings, etc.
4. Sleep: Fatigue, drowsiness, sleep disturbances, etc.
To learn more about ImPACT, visit www.impacttest.com

About Frye Regional Medical Center
A part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, Frye Regional Medical Center has served the health and medical needs of the residents of the Catawba Valley region since 1911 with a commitment to delivering high quality and compassionate care with a focus on patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. Frye Regional Medical Center includes a 355-bed acute care hospital, home to the Frye Heart Center, Cancer Center, General and Bariatric Surgery, Emergency Services, Advanced Orthopedics, Neurosciences, Women’s Birthing Center and Inpatient Rehabilitation Center. The system also includes the Frye South Campus, an inpatient adult behavioral health treatment center designed to provide therapeutic stabilization. Frye Regional also offers the region access to more than 60 primary care and specialty care providers through the FryeCare Physicians Network.