Canary Concussion Assessment

Over 300,000 sports related traumatic brain injuries occur annually in the United States.  Other concussions can occur at home, away from home with a “simple” fall, or a car accident.

We need a more reliable and objective way to measure the immediate and persistent neurologic effects of these injuries.  The SCAT3 and the SCAT5 have been one effort to help standardize concussion testing, especially among athletes, but the administration of this test can be subjective.

The Canary Concussion Assessment Product is the first thing that I have seen that has the consistency and the ability to track subtle changes before a concussion, after the injury (falling down, hitting your head even if minor), on the sideline (sports) and on subsequent days and even from year to year.

This Assessment takes about 20 minutes.  It sets the Baseline only.  When you have a subsequent injury to the head, you should be reassessed with the voice-activated test.  We first must have a Baseline which can be done at any time that is convenient for you. The sooner the better.

The advantages of The Canary Concussion Assessment product are the following:

  1. It is based on the standard process accepted and in use, particularly in sports, across the USA and countries around the world.
  2. It uses the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) (and now SCAT5) – the current standard.  It also has a Short Form Assessment that is non-sports related.
  3. It collects the information from the person by asking the questions and recording the individual’s actual voice answers directly into a digital version of the SCAT Form.
  4. It allows the individual administering the assessment to observe the person and be more attentive to their condition.
  5. The assessment is taken directly on the tablet or iPad and is “born digital” allowing for easier saving and storage of the assessment and easier sharing with your physician or the patient.
  6. For sports, preseason and pregame baseline assessments can be completed quicker and easier, with multiple tablets and iPads used to test several athletes at a time.
  7. The assessment is objective and removes the subjectivity, while still involving the trainer, coach, team physician, or health care provider.  While the Dr. may assess by asking “general” questions (headache, eye strain, etc) or even order an MRI (which may not show a “significant” problem), the person can still have issues like stuck cranial bones or an imbalance in the functioning of the brain.
  8. The concussion assessment can be completed on the tablet or iPad device without connection to the Internet, allowing for assessments to be completed in remote locations and at the site of games.
  9. The Canary Concussion Assessment is also available as a Web-based assessment and can be completed while connected to the Internet, on a HIPAA compliant database.
  10. The web-based assessment allows for critical follow-up assessments to track and monitor the individual’s progress from day to day at home or game to game and year to year after treatments designed to help post concussion.
  11. For athletes, the Canary Concussion Assessment can follow an athlete through their sports career from elementary school, little league, high school, university and professional sports.  If you know of a school coach or Athletic Director who is interested in having this at their school, please direct them to me.
  12. The Canary Concussion Assessment product is more accurate, faster, easier to use and allows for easy storage of the concussion assessments.
  13. The Canary Concussion Assessment product provides the individual, athlete and families an effective way to participate in their care.
  14. With the ease of administration of this product, individuals, parents, athletes, trainers, coaches and physicians could also use this to accurately assess the impact of motor vehicle accidents, falls at home and away from home, and other non sanctioned sports head injuries.

Who should get a Baseline Assessment done?

Everyone!!  If you don’t have a baseline done, you will not know how badly you are hurt if you have an injury hitting your head.  We will be able to compare the baseline with your answers after you are injured. The voice test will even show if you should see your Doctor immediately! (if you have not done so or if he has dismissed you as OK)

What should I do if my Assessment shows a deviation from the Baseline Assessment?

I can provide the following treatments to help with concussion or Traumatic Brain Injury:

  1. Cranial Sacral Therapy
  2. BrainTap Technology
  3. Dolphin NeuroStem MicroPoint Stimulation

Should I see my Doctor?

Yes, always go to your doctor after any head injury.