Baseline Testing is a series of physical and cognitive tests that measure healthy brain function.
In the event of a concussion, baseline testing results provide very useful information as it is used as a comparison to help with return to school, work and sport decisions.
Just because concussion symptoms go away after a few days that does not indicate that the brain has recovered fully from a concussion. Therefore, relying on symptoms disappearing is a risky way to determine if it’s time to go back to school, work or sport.
The brain is very vulnerable right after a concussion. Even a smaller impact can cause further damage.
The safest thing for a concussed individual to do is not return to high-risk sport until the brain function has improved.
Having access to baseline test scores allows a concussed individual to be managed in a better way. Having access to their healthy brain scores and comparing it their concussed brain scores allows the practitioner to make better decisions for the individual.
Cadence Chiropractic is a certified Complete Concussion Management Clinic. During a baseline test the individual will be tested via symptom scores, orientation, auditory memory, concentration, visual tracking, processing speed, balance, reaction time and delayed recall.
No one test will be able to detect the full spectrum of concussion. That is why Cadence chooses the multimodal testing approach.
Baseline testing is recommend for individuals over 10 years of age that participate in a collision or high-speed sport. Some sports include, but are not limited to:
- Hockey
- Rugby
- Cheerleading
- Soccer
- Lacrosse
- Wrestling
For a more detailed explanation on concussion rates in sport you can read more here.
If you would like to book a baseline test call us at 403.521.2278