Testing, Guidance for Athletes at D-H Concussion Workshops
July 18, 2012
Lebanon, NH
Michael Sparks, MD
On the threshold of the fall sports season, Dartmouth-Hitchcock's team of sports-medicine practitioners is inviting athletes ages 11 to 65 - as well as parents, coaches, and trainers of athletes, and any interested member of the community - to workshops that will include tests and guidance to prepare athletes for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of concussions.
The workshops, which the Upper Valley Sports Education Foundation is co-sponsoring, will take place in Auditoriums A and B at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) on Saturday, August 11 (one-hour sessions starting at 8, 9, and 10 a.m.) and on Tuesday, August 14 (one-hour sessions starting at 5, 6, and 7 p.m.). Registration, required by August 10 for the Saturday sessions and August 13 for the Tuesday sessions, is limited to 10 athletes per concussion-testing session and 20 questioners per education workshop. To sign up, call (603) 650-8867 or send an email to sports@hitchcock.org
At each session, athletes can pay $15 each to undergo testing of their "baseline" cognitive conditions, to come up with scores that will go into their medical records and make it easier for their doctors set guidelines for returning to action after future concussions. Meanwhile, a panel of physicians, physical therapists, and athletic trainers will answer questions from parents, coaches, trainers and athletes, in workshops that are free of charge.
"Sports-related concussions have become a public-health concern," says Michael Sparks, MD, leader of the sports-medicine team and director of the sports-concussion program. "Education is the key to prevention and treatment. Baseline testing allows us the opportunity to appropriately evaluate student athletes and help them return to learning and playing."
Learn more about the workshops.
About Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Dartmouth-Hitchcock is a national leader in evidence-based and patient-centered health care. The system includes hundreds of physicians, specialists, and other providers who work together at different locations to meet the health care needs of patients in northern New England. In addition to primary care services at local community practices, Dartmouth-Hitchcock patients have access to specialists in almost every area of medicine, as well as world-class research at the Audrey and Theodor Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and centers of excellence including The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice (TDI). Providers on the sports-medicine team treat adults as well as young athletes, and include specialists from the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
For more information contact David Corriveau at (603) 653-1978.
