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Steelers' concussion specialists meet new guidelines
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09328/1015831-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09328/1015831-66.stm[/url]
A move by the NFL to expand the use of independent neurological specialists in evaluating players with concussions won't affect the Steelers because the players' union already has approved the specialists with whom the team works on brain injury issues.
Dr. Joseph Maroon, whose specialty is neurosurgery, is the team doctor; players also are evaluated by Mark Lovell, a psychologist who is the director of UPMC's Sports Concussion Program.
"This does not impact the Steelers. They already have neuro-specialists in place. The union has approved Dr. Maroon and Dr. Lovell," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said yesterday.
The move by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, first reported Sunday night on Fox's NFL pregame telecast, comes after several years of reports about former players suffering from depression, dementia and other cognitive problems and whether those ailments are linked to concussions during their NFL careers. Goodell was recently summoned to testify at a Congressional hearing on the issue.
"This is a new step to expand the use of specialists in this particular area of player safety," Aiello said. "Doctors always make the determination on return-to-play from any injury. That is the league's policy. As commissioner Goodell says, medical decisions always override competitive ones."
Lovell and his colleagues have spearheaded the use of ImPACT, which stands for Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing system. It's a 20-minute computerized evaluation of the player's memory, reaction time and other parameters.
The NFL requires players to take a baseline test so the extent of any impairment can be measured with a post-concussion test.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09328/1015831-66.stm#ixzz0XkrNvsMl"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09328/10 ... z0XkrNvsMl[/url]
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09328/1015831-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09328/1015831-66.stm[/url]
A move by the NFL to expand the use of independent neurological specialists in evaluating players with concussions won't affect the Steelers because the players' union already has approved the specialists with whom the team works on brain injury issues.
Dr. Joseph Maroon, whose specialty is neurosurgery, is the team doctor; players also are evaluated by Mark Lovell, a psychologist who is the director of UPMC's Sports Concussion Program.
"This does not impact the Steelers. They already have neuro-specialists in place. The union has approved Dr. Maroon and Dr. Lovell," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said yesterday.
The move by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, first reported Sunday night on Fox's NFL pregame telecast, comes after several years of reports about former players suffering from depression, dementia and other cognitive problems and whether those ailments are linked to concussions during their NFL careers. Goodell was recently summoned to testify at a Congressional hearing on the issue.
"This is a new step to expand the use of specialists in this particular area of player safety," Aiello said. "Doctors always make the determination on return-to-play from any injury. That is the league's policy. As commissioner Goodell says, medical decisions always override competitive ones."
Lovell and his colleagues have spearheaded the use of ImPACT, which stands for Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing system. It's a 20-minute computerized evaluation of the player's memory, reaction time and other parameters.
The NFL requires players to take a baseline test so the extent of any impairment can be measured with a post-concussion test.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09328/1015831-66.stm#ixzz0XkrNvsMl"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09328/10 ... z0XkrNvsMl[/url]
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