#52 - Athletic Trainers and Concussion Testing

So far we’ve covered the role of athletic trainers and what they do. If you missed these flash briefings, they’re worth going back and listening to. Today, we’ll be discussing athletic trainers and concussion testing.

As the first healthcare provider to assess an athlete for a possible concussion on the sideline, athletic trainers play a crucial role. They can evaluate and manage concussions by using a variety of objective tools. Here are some of the assessments they may use:

• Neurocognitive testing
• Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) testing
• Vestibular-Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS)
• Clinical examinations

Schools that have athletic trainers are seeing improvements in how they handle concussions. At the high school level, 50% of concussed athletes with low athletic trainer availability underwent a return-to-play protocol. This is compared to 100% at schools with high athletic trainer availability.