Concussion Clinic Now Offered at the Bone & Joint Center at Wausau
A new service being provided to Wausau-area high schools is the state-of-the-art concussion management program featuring IMPACT™ testing.  Students participating in contact sports now have the ability to take part in the IMPACT™ test, which is an extremely useful tool in managing concussion.  The tool helps to insure that the athlete is recovered prior to returning to physical activity and sports, thus reducing the risk of re-injury.

This 20-minute baseline test is currently being administered at no charge in Wausau-area high schools to those students participating in contact sports.  Post-impact tests will be administered by Bone & Joint in cooperation with Sport & Spine and the ACHIEVE Center.  

The concussion clinic will be held on Mondays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the new Wausau Bone & Joint Musculoskeletal & Surgery Center. 

Charges will be applied to the office visit for both the sports clinic and the concussion clinic and any testing, including imaging and follow-up appointments.  It is recommended that patients check with their individual insurance company for details surrounding coverage.

Wisconsin Sports Concussion Collaborative (WSCC)
The purpose of the Wisconsin Sports Concussion Collaborative (WSCC) is to promote the health, safety and academic performance of Wisconsin student-athletes and others by improving the education, identification, diagnosis, and treatment of concussions.  Because we strongly believe in the value of sports participation, we commit to work collaboratively to help make the sports participation of student-athletes as safe as possible.
http://wisportsconcussion.org/

Concussion Education Links
Educational materials are made available by the Center for Disease Control(CDC), members of the Wisconsin Sports Concussion Collaborative(WSCC), the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) as well as from other experts in the field of sports concussion.

For Parents or Guardians

For Coaches

For Athletes

For Teachers

For Medical Professionals

Physicians are the medical guardians of an athlete’s health. It is critical that as a physician you maintain current knowledge in the area of diagnosing concussions. Physicians can play a key role in helping to prevent mild traumatic brain injury or concussion and improve a patient’s health outcomes through early diagnosis, management, and appropriate referral.
Wisconsin Valley Athletic Medicine (WVAM) is proud to announce the implementation of a state-of-the-art concussion management program featuring ImPACT™ testing. Students participating in contact sports now have the ability to be the first high school athletes in the Wausau area to take part in the ImPACT™ test.

ImPACT™ is an extremely useful tool in managing concussion. It helps to insure that the athlete is recovered prior to returning to physical activity and sports, reducing the risk of re-injury. Perhaps more importantly, when used appropriately, it can help guide the recovery process at school by identifying students who have neurocognitive impairment after concussion, thus allowing the school to provide temporary academic modifications during the recovery process.

As a physician, it’s important for you to know that a protocol for managing head injuries both academically and in regard to return to play has been established. If you have any questions about the ImPACT™ program or your role as a physician, please contact the student’s high school athletic trainer or Dr. James Messerly at 715.359.6442. Physician resources can be found online at http://wisportsconcussion.org/concussioneducation/medicalprofessionals.html