Concussion testing is a part of every athlete’s career. From professional leagues to high school, athlete’s concussions and other traumatic brain injuries are being monitored.

At Delaware Valley, all new athletes, students in seventh grade, freshman, and juniors are required to take a baseline concussion test at the beginning of their first sport’s season. The school uses an online imPACT Test, which gives students a series of exams to receive data on how the individual’s brain functions.

The test begins by gathering basic personal information, then moves onto a practice portion and continues to the final test. The exam include memory games, matching and tests that measure your mental quickness.

The results can help determine if an athlete has a concussion. These baseline tests are extremely important if an athlete has a possibility of getting a concussion.

If an athlete is thought to have a concussion, he/she will take another imPACT Test. Depending on how the results vary, professionals can compare the tests and help determine treatment and the severity of the concussion.

Other than the online test, there are other methods to determine if an athlete has a concussion.

A method named C3 Logix incorporates a physical balance portion, where athletes stand on one foot on a soft surface with their hands on their hips. This balance test is one tool that helps professionals determine if there is a concussion present.

Girls’ basketball head coach Ms. Lindsay Baker says that with all the information regarding concussions, significant trauma to the brain and possible illnesses down the road, that continuing research in concussion testing is extremely important.