Miami University

Concussion Management

The Miami University Concussion Management Program is a collaborative effort between the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology and the Intercollegiate Athletics program at Miami University. All freshman and transfer students on specific varsity teams receive baseline neurocognitive testing in order to assess their non-injured cognitive functioning, prior to the onset of pre-season training. The testing assesses skills that are vulnerable to sports concussions. When athletes sustain a concussion they are referred to the clinic, ideally within 48 hours. The athletes are then put through the same neurocognitive test battery they initially completed to obtain post concussion scores. Evoked auditory potentials are also conducted at baseline and compared post concussion. The results are then compared to their baseline data and recommendations are made. Our experience at Miami University and research in sports concussion suggest that athletes require several days to recover from the symptoms of concussion. No athlete should return to sport or other at-risk participation when symptoms of concussion are present and recovery is ongoing. The goal of the program is to properly manage the concussion when it does occur to prevent further difficulties.