Concussions are some of the most common, yet serious, injuries that happen especially related to sports. With all of the activities Blue Valley offers, concussions are bound to happen.

“I’ve had a concussion for eight months”, said former Blue Valley student athlete and competitive volleyball player Olivia Contractor.

A concussion is a mild or traumatic injury to the head that causes a chemical imbalance in the brain, and after suffering a direct blow, Contractor was diagnosed with a mild concussion that later turned into something much more severe.

“At first, the doctors said it was just a mild concussion, but after a couple of weeks the symptoms continued, so I re-took the Impact Test,” said Contractor.

The Impact Test is a voluntary test available to all Blue Valley students, and it measures the brain’s activity, reaction time and memory.

When Contractor first took it before her concussion, her brain activity was normal. But, after suffering the blow, she retook the test and saw a major decrease.

“It’s really helpful to see the results week after week, and to be able to track my progress as the numbers get closer to the baseline from before the concussion,” said Contractor.

Not only is the Impact Test available to students, but if a student is diagnosed with a concussion, once they’re cleared for physical activity by a doctor, Southwest’s Athletic Trainer, Krista Westerkamp, works with them to gradually help students get back to normal.

“The big thing with students is strength, especially in the neck for prevention,” said Westerkamp, “which is one thing we really try to focus on in recovery and preventing a second concussion as well”.

Right now, all kinds of new technologies are being developed for concussions, but it’s a matter of time, money and implication, as well as how well they work.

“I really like what we have now with the Impact Test, it works really well,” said Westerkamp.

Although the Impact Test may be very useful, many Blue Valley parents feel that they haven’t been informed enough about it.

Angie Hissong, a parent of two Blue Valley students said that although she signs off on the concussion forms sent out each year, there still seems to be a lack of information provided about the testing.

Another parent, Angela Freeman, has heard of the Impact Test, but has never had either of her children take it.

“I’ve heard about the test before, but I’ve never thought about having my kids take it because I’ve never heard how accurate the  results are,”said Freeman.

The test is very accurate and has become increasingly important, especially since the number of students participating in activities has gone up, according to Westerkamp.  Unfortunately, a lack students take it.

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