My View on the Importance of Comprehensive Baseline Testing for Combative Athletes
My passion for educating combative athletes on the importance of pre-concussion management and baseline assessments began when my trainer sustained a concussion during one of his sparring training sessions. He experienced a wide range of symptoms that affected his daily routine, and he had many setbacks with slow progress during his rehabilitation. The most significant setback was that he did not complete a baseline assessment before he sustained his injury. Without any prior knowledge of his cognitive and visual functions before his concussion, it was difficult to determine his concussion's actual impact on his cognitive, visual, and physical processes. It also made me question where his rehabilitation needed to go; I was left with the question, “what is his norm?”.
In my opinion, a comprehensive baseline assessment should, at the bare minimum, include a full cognitive, VOMS, BESS and neural assessment, which is administered before any athlete participates in sparring. The cognitive component should be randomized and administered so that the athlete is unaware of the questions before testing. Programs such as ImPact administer cognitive testing thoroughly through a trained therapist who can interpret the beneficial values for both baseline and rehabilitation purposes. Unfortunately, in my experience, using the SCAT 5 as a baseline test has many downsides. One of the biggest downfalls is that when administered to athletes familiar with the questions, the answers can provide misleading data.
I am awed by athletes who participate in combative sports that test both their mental and physical endurance. These sports are complex because the athlete must react to an ever-changing, fast-paced environment where flying fists, feet and elbows are constantly inbound. I have the utmost respect for athletes who train and compete at this high level. I have trained in martial arts for many years for health and fitness reasons and have been around many types of athletes through my career and passion for combative sports. I understand the risks involved in these sports and have witnessed the injuries sustained when participating in this sporting arena. In my opinion, a comprehensive baseline assessment is a necessary investment, similar to investing in high-quality sporting equipment. Baseline assessments prepare an athlete for a worst-case scenario where they might become concussed and provide information for the direction their rehabilitation needs to go in these cases.
Gyms or fitness centres that offer combative sports training, such as MMA, Muay Thai, Boxing or Tae Kwon Do training, should have a mandatory concussion awareness education program provided by a certified concussion therapist. This program should include awareness of the signs and symptoms of concussions and the proper protocols when a concussion is suspected. Rowan’s Law in Ontario has made a step in the right direction with concussion awareness. Hopefully, more combative athletes will understand the importance of baseline assessments before they decide to jump in the ring to spar.
- Sharmila Gupta
