Dell Children’s Medical Center offering free testing for student-athletes on Sunday
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As part of the 2019 Concussion Health Summit and Town Hall, Dell Children’s Medical Center will host free balance performance testing for 100 student-athletes from 4 to 5 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 29.
Dr. Martha Pyron, Medical Director of Ascension Seton says the testing takes no more than 10 minutes and said an an athlete should take it before a concussion.
“The reality is a really good baseline test is done on an athlete in the beginning of a season or at their annual physical,” says Pyron. “That includes a complete neurological exam and is more detailed than what’s performed at a typical sports physical.”
The free baseline testing includes:
- symptom assessment
- single-leg stance
- heel-toe walking (a test sensitive to changes in balance after concussion)
- oculomotor tests (eye movements related to performance)
- visual-vestibular interaction (high-level balance tests)
“So, with that data and those numbers in the beginning of the season, then you can retest those things if a person has a concussion. Then you’ll know where you need to focus your therapy or your treatments,” says Pyron.
The three-day event starts Friday, Sept. 27, bringing together world-renowned concussion experts to Austin to share the latest information and technology used to diagnose and treat concussions.
“As more research is coming out, we are seeing concussions starting at an early age all the way into adulthood can have a cumulative effect on other diseases that are pretty severe in life, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s,” said Dr. Derick Chan, a Physical Therapist at Dell Children’s Medical Center, and a presenter at this year’s summit.
The summit is presented by 360 Neuro Health Institute and Dell Children’s Medical Center.
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