Several revisions and improvements to protocols dealing with concussions have Durango School District 9-R officials more confident they are diagnosing and treating students more effectively than ever.
The current concussion management guidelines and the relationships built with Mercy Regional Medical Center in development of those protocols were summarized by 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger at a school board meeting last week.
David Preszler, coordinator of athletics, said concussions are a unique injury, and in Durango – with its opportunities for mountain biking, skiing and rock climbing – not just confined to the playing fields.
“With a broken finger, you can see it, and you recognize it, you know how to treat it. With a concussion, you don’t see it. There’s a myriad of symptoms and behaviors you need to watch for,” he said.
Protocols from initial treatment on the playing field all the way through the medical process have been examined, refined, and compared with best-practices developed internationally, nationally and even with studies from medical facilities working with NFL teams.
Each 9-R school has a concussion management team in place, and members can help identify and aid not only athletes suffering from an injury on the playing field but other students who might have taken a bad bicycle spill or a fall on the slopes, said Kyle Montgomery, head trainer at Durango High School.
Members of each school’s concussion management team will include athletic trainers at middle schools and high schools; school nurses at elementary schools; an administrator; a guidance counselor; a general education teacher; and physical education teachers.
Kolin Tomlinson, supervisor of athletic training at Mercy Sports Medicine and one of the officials from Mercy working with 9-R on its concussion guidelines, said the concussion management teams enhanced each school’s recognition and treatment of concussions. Perhaps more importantly, he said the teams also enhanced communication about treatment and care for students among teachers, coaches and parents.
“Communication and education is a big component of this, and the teams ensure that everyone understands what’s happening, what needs to be done and the information spreads to the whole facility,” Montgomery said.
Sean Evans, 9-R coordinator of health services, noted that students involved in athletics are “impact tested” to form a baseline of cognitive behavior, which is used to measure students individually later in the year should they be suspected of suffering a concussion on the playing fields or the slopes.
Impact testing is done by showing students such things as shapes or math problems and establishing how long it takes students to identify the shape, color of the shape or solve a math problem. If students are suspected of having a concussion, medical professions compare response times, which can help reveal whether the child is concussed.
At DHS, 430 student-athletes, including cheer squads, were impact tested for baselines at the school, and the process was repeated for athletes involved in winter sports.
During the 2016-17 school year, Montgomery estimated about 20 DHS students suffered concussions.
Also, Montgomery noted impact baseline testing can be done for $10 for each student at Mercy Sports Medicine, located at 3206 Main Ave., to aid in treatment should students suffer a concussion.
Tomlinson said the effort to refine concussion protocols has also enhanced the ability to treat children from ages 5 to 11 for concussions. Study of pediatrics was an important part of 9-R’s concussion planning and policymaking.
“It’s difficult to talk to a 6-year-old and try to explain the concept of nausea to them,” he said.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
