Your team is fortunate enough to have access to computerized neuropsychological testing. All players took the test before the season to establish personal baseline scores. Your star player was dinged as in Situation #1; you pulled him out of the game, and kept a close eye on him until he went home. The next day when he comes to practice you have him retake the neuropsych test even though he doesn't seem to have any of the concussion signs or symptoms. His new score is lower than his baseline, but not by much. What's the right thing to do?
This could be an incorrect assumption. The test program probably has a thorough description about how to interpret scores. A score 5% lower than baseline may sound trivial, but it's a large enough drop to indicate potentially serious brain damage. It's a good idea to rest the player and have him retake the test every couple days until his scores come back up. Also make sure the player sees a doctor (preferably a neurologist), don't let him undertake physical activity until he's been cleared by the physician.
A single test after an injury will most likely not provide you with the information you need. So, if you do have access to neurocognitive testing its important you get your players baseline tested as soon as possible.
There are a couple different types of testing you could use. One website you may want to take a look at is www.impacttest.com. This site has information on testing and how you can access this technology online.
