Columbia Memorial | Health Compass | Summer 2019

Tackling concussion CMH helps student-athletes play it safe The headache was instant and so severe that it brought tears to his eyes. Kellan Patterson, a junior at Astoria High School, had just experienced his second concussion in less than two weeks. It would take him six more weeks to return to school full-time and for the headaches to subside. Each year, CMH Athletic Trainer Chad Rankin gives varsity athletes at Astoria, Warrenton, Seaside and Knappa high schools the computer-based ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) exam, which measures brain function through reaction times, memory and awareness. Since 2012, Rankin has conducted more than 3,600 baseline tests. When a student-athlete, like Kellan, has a suspected concussion, Rankin retests them. Comparing the baseline test with the second test allows a doctor to determine if and how badly the athlete has been injured. This quantitative measure of brain function makes concussion management less subjective and helps doctors determine when an athlete is ready to go back to practice and competition— preventing further or lasting brain injury. On brain rest Kellan was one of 134 student-athletes from area schools that showed signs of a concussion during the first six months of the 2018–2019 school year. He’d received the first concussion while playing football when he collided head- to-head with another player. A concussion happens when the brain gets rattled or shaken inside the skull from a fall, a blow or some other jarring event. The brain responds by releasing its neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, all at once. This chemical flare-up causes physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional problems. The most dangerous concussions may be the ones that get missed. When that first concussion is missed, the person is at risk of having a second and more severe concussion within the first year. “A common myth is that someone needs to lose consciousness to sustain a concussion, which is certainly not true, as more than 80% of all concussions do SPORTS PHYSICAL DAY Get a checkup for your middle- or high-school student athlete on Thursday, Aug. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. at Astoria High School. The ImPACT test is also available for students who didn’t take it last year. Cost: $25 . For information, call 503-338-4675 . not involve a loss of consciousness,” Rankin says. Kellan didn’t pass out, and his initial symptoms were mild, with a headache and some disorientation. Howard Rub, Astoria High School Head Football Coach and Athletic Director, was the first to notice that something was off. Kellan was put on “brain rest” by his doctor, Allison Martin, MD. Brain rest means avoiding anything that is stimulating to the brain intellectually or emotionally, including doing school work, playing sports, watching TV or listening to music, talking with friends, and driving. “It got really boring,” Kellan says. Out for a season Just when he was feeling better and getting back to school and on the sidelines at football practice, Kellan had a car accident. Fortunately, it was a minor accident, but it still set his recovery back by months. BY F E L I C I A S T R UV E 4 HEALTH COMPASS SUMMER 2019