UAB Sports-Related Concussion Program

Welcome to the UAB Sports-Related Concussion Website.

We are pleased to provide you information on a unique program at UAB that is designed to serve our local university athletic program, the Birmingham sports community and statewide athletic programs.

Paul D. Blanton, Ph.D., Director

Staff

Paul D. Blanton, Ph.D., Director

Sally Gordon, Psy.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow

Tony Intoccia, M.A., Psychological Assistant

Background

Approximately 10 percent of athletes involved in collision sports, such as football, experience concussions each season.  However, this is likely a very conservative estimate as it is difficult to estimate the specific rate of sports concussions accurately because many go undiagnosed and unreported.  Even in cases of documented sports-related concussion, it is difficult to measure the often-subtle effects of concussion objectively and to determine when a player is ready to return to competition.  

Research has demonstrated that the effects of repeated concussions are cumulative.  Most athletes who experience an initial concussion can recover completely as long as they do not return to play prematurely. Following a concussion, there is a transient period of change in brain function that may last anywhere from 24 hours to several days.  During this time, the brain is particularly vulnerable to more severe and even permanent injury.  If an athlete sustains a second concussion during this period, the risk of permanent brain injury increases significantly.  During this period, the consequences of a seemingly mild second concussion can be very severe, and several cases of death have been reported (i.e., “second impact syndrome”). 

Steve Young, Eric Lindros, Roger Staubach, Harry Carson, Pat LaFontaine, Al Toon, and Troy Aikman are among the list of elite athletes whose careers have been curtailed by multiple sports-related concussions. 

Neuropsychological testing has proven to be an effective way to obtain useful data regarding the short- and long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injury.  Preseason baseline evaluation of athletes is essential for several reasons.  Individual players vary tremendously with respect to their levels of performance on tests of memory, attention/concentration, mental processing speed, and motor speed.  Without knowledge of each player’s performance before a concussion, it is difficult to assess whether any deficits detected during post-injury testing are attributable to the effects of the concussion or to pre-existing factors.  Pre-injury learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and situational factors, such as test anxiety, may adversely affect performance on demanding neurocognitive measures.  Our program obtains appropriate histories regarding previous concussions and their severity, learning disorders, and attentional impairments so that this information can be integrated with the results of preseason baseline testing. 

The National Football League, The National Hockey League, The Pittsburgh Pirates, and Major League Baseball Umpires are among the professional organizations requiring neuropsychological testing for their athletes and officials.  

About our Program 

The UAB Sports Related Concussion Program serves as the primary site for the care of

sports-related concussion at UAB, the Birmingham community, statewide and throughout the region. This program is a collaborative effort between the UAB Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, UAB Department of Psychology and UAB Sports Medicine. 

As the Director of the Section of Neuropsychology in the Division of Neurosurgery, Dr. Paul D. Blanton, oversees the evaluation of the neurocognitive effects of sports-related concussion and works in collaboration with UAB Sports Medicine to assist in providing a ‘consensus’ determination for when it is safe for an athlete to return to practice and competition following a concussion.  The computer-based neuropsychological assessment system ImPACT (Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) will be used.  Our initial protocol will involve collecting pre-season baseline data on UAB athletes’ neurocognitive functioning by having them complete a 20-minute computerized testing session that measures various neurocognitive skills: mental processing speed, attention, memory, and visual-motor skills.  A concussed athlete is re-evaluated shortly following his or her concussion, and this information is used to determine the player’s post-concussion neurocognitive status.  This information, in combination with the results of symptom report and physical evaluations, is then used to determine when it is safe for the player to return to practice and competition.   In collaboration with the UAB Athletic Department, this team will focus on other aspects of concussion management, most notably education and prevention. 

Clinical Protocol

Protocol for Pre-season

1. Neuropsychology joins the UAB Sports Medicine team as a participant in the comprehensive effort to provide education and prevention information at UAB Coaches’ Forums and other related sports medicine and athletic training conferences and programs.
2. UAB Athletes receive baseline neuropsychological evaluations prior to the start of the Fall Semester, utilizing ImPact, a computer-based assessment and data management program developed especially for sports-related concussion.
3. This information is housed for medical data comparison should an athlete experience a head injury during play.

How to Contact Neuropsychology for an Emergency:  Protocol for Within-Season

1. Neuropsychology maintains an “on-call” schedule throughout the athletic year.  You may contact Dr. Blanton or his staff at UAB Pager # 934-2337, and dial pager # 6337, or you may contact UAB Sports Medicine at 205-934-1041.
2. A team trainer or team MD or UAB Sports Medicine will be responsible for contacting Neuropsychology in the event of concussion. 
3. A team trainer or team MD should provide information regarding concussion severity (e.g., Cantu Level II) and the athlete’s current status.
4. An initial post-concussion evaluation will be performed within 24 hours by Neuropsychology.
5. Repeat evaluations will be performed every other day until the athlete returns to baseline.
6. Neuropsychology will communicate results of testing with the referring athletic team trainer and team MD throughout the course of these post-concussion evaluations and will assist trainer and MD in determining the athlete’s return-to-play status. 

To request a neuropsychological evaluation for any sports related head injury outside of UAB

Please contact the UAB Kirklin Clinic Scheduling Office at 205-801-7745 to refer a patient.  If this is an emergency, please call the UAB MIST Office at 205-934-6478 and request that they page Dr. Blanton.