Sports Related Brain Injury

Sports are intensifying at an earlier age across the board and so too are sports related injuries. Girls are developing more injuries due to their desire to play “hard” to win. The type of sport determines the type of injury. Those sports that are more at risk for closed head injury to the brain are the following: cheerleading, basketball, auto racing, boxing, cricket, horse racing or horseback riding, (equestrian) field hockey, lacrosse, golf, skating (roller skating, ice skating, particularly competitive skating) judo (karate and kickboxing) motorcycle riding, rugby, skiing and snowboarding, snowmobiling, soccer and wrestling. Those sports that place a person at risk for continual brain injury are football, soccer, ice hockey, professional skating and boxing. Concussions or periods of dizziness or amnesia associated with a specific event or head injury can result by repeated blows to the head without loss of consciousness and are commonplace in these sports. The primary symptoms of brain injury in these instances are memory loss and personality changes.

At United Psychological Services we can:

• Diagnose in an accurate and scientific manner using brain behavior tests and neuropsychological assessment to determine the presence of brain impairment.
  
  
• Determine intervention and treatment plans based upon the degree of injury.
  
  
• Offer treatment plans ranging from emotional or behavioral intervention to cognitive/brain training.
  
  
• Work with the medical field to address issues related to sports injury.
  
  
• Address the trauma and depression that may be associated with the injury (loss of self-esteem, professional or career plans).
  
  
• Work with the academic setting regarding behavioral and teaching intervention, development of IEP plan and specific methods to effectively teach a brain injured child.
  
  
• Work with the family and school on emotional, social behavioral interventions.
  
  
• Offer an ongoing social skills group to help foster social emotional intelligence and social skills with same age peers.
  
  
• Provide brain/cognitive training to address the individually specific deficits found on neuropsychological evaluation.