Innovation May Save Lives
Mason Is One of Few High Schools
To Benefit from Impact Testing

By Christie Ankeney and Alex Pender (March 25, 2006)

As senior guard Maggie O’Toole fought for a loose ball in a hotly contested basketball game on February 7, one of the Highland players accidentally elbowed her in the forehead.  The game was temporarily stopped when O’Toole, who was somewhat dazed and dizzy, got helped off the court for a head injury. O’Toole was then taken out of the rest of the game, and, as it turned out, the rest of the week.

The day following the game, although O’Toole thought she was fine, Athletic Trainer, Vicki Galliher could not ignore the results of the IMPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test) O’Toole had recently taken compared to the pre-season baseline test she had taken. “I know the results from the test didn’t come out very good so I understood why she [coach Galliher] held me out all week, but my head really felt fine and I felt good enough to play,” O’Toole told Lasso Online. However, in spite of O’Toole’s feelings that she was well enough to play, the results of her post-concussion IMPACT test told Galliher that, for health and medical safety, O’Toole needed to sit out a few games.

Anyone who has played a sport recently at George Mason, knows that everyone has to take “The IMPACT Test,” but few actually know how much it truly helps. “The IMPACT test takes a snapshot of your cognitive and visual processing abilities pre-injury,” said Galliher.  The IMPACT Test is a series of cognitive, memory, hand-eye coordination, and visual-processing tests that takes approximately 22 minutes to complete. “Less than 270 high schools in the U.S. have the IMPACT Testing,” said Galliher who added that “close to 20 Mason athletes have benefited from the IMPACT testing after having sustained a concussion over the past two years.”

“The IMPACT testing software protocol was developed at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center by Dr. Michael Collins and Dr. Mark Lovell,” Galliher explained. Galliher attended a week-long training session in Pittsburg two summers ago to learn how to properly administer and interpret the results of the test.

There are varying levels of concussions and each needs to be examined and analyzed with regard to their associated symptoms, including but not limited to, loss of consciousness and for how long, amnesia (retrograde – prior to injury and anterograde – after injury), nausea, and general pain.   When our George Mason athletes have experienced a concussion or head injury,  Coach Galliher consults with Dr. Collins or other neuropsychologists in interpreting the results of an athlete’s post-concussion IMPACT test results.

Historically,  the average recovery time given for mild concussions by health care professionals was 1-2 weeks.   Through  extensive neuropsychological research over the past 10 years,  medical professionals specializing in the study of head injuries and concussions have found longer periods of recovery are necessary, especially for high school athletes. The teenage brain is still maturing and takes longer to recover from even mild concussive head injuries.   This is why IMPACT Testing at the high school level is so important and so effective. “Impact Testing allows us to provide more comprehensive evaluation and care for our athletes who have experienced head trauma,” said Galliher.

Along with the computer-based IMPACT Testing, Galliher uses a Sideline IMPACT testing which enables her to test athletes right on the field or court.   “The software is loaded on a palm pilot and allows me to asses an athlete suspected of having a head/brain injury right on the side line.  The sideline IMPACT scores can then be compared immediately with an athlete’s baseline scores, which are stored on the palm pilot.  Very few high schools have this.”

“IMPACT testing is one of the most important medical tools we will ever put in place here”,  Galliher said. Along with a select number of high schools in the U.S., IMPACT Testing is used by 16 NFL teams, US Soccer, Professional Baseball, 100+ universities, Professional Hockey, USA Women’s Olympic Hockey and many more professional sports.

As for O’Toole, she sat out for a week and missed three games but in the end led her team to the regional tournament. Coach Galliher says that  “ensuring an athlete has sufficiently recovered from a head injury prior to clearing that athlete to return to play is critical, that’s why we have the IMPACT Testing.”