http://bit.ly/qZAxpt Amherst, N.Y. (PRWEB) September 01, 2011 Western New York athletes ages 10 and above can now receive early diagnosis and proper care for sports-related concussions with the launch of Excelsior Orthopaedics? new Sports Concussion Center and Play Safe program ? Western New York?s first and only comprehensive sports concussion management program for young athletes.
The launch of the Sports Concussion Center and Play Safe program coincides with the start of fall sports practices and games for thousands of male and female middle school and high school athletes in Western New York.
As part of the new center, Excelsior?s Play Safe program offers a simple and cost-effective way ? using computerized neurocognitive testing ? for young athletes and school officials to ensure that athletes suffering concussions are fully recovered before returning to the playing field. This is particularly important as school districts look at working with the requirements posed by the ?Concussion Management and Awareness Act? that was recently passed by the New York State Legislature and is awaiting Gov. Andrew Cuomo?s signing into law.
Youth concussions, as well as those sustained by collegiate and professional athletes, have been the target of increasing public attention with a major focus given to proper concussion management in preventing the potentially serious long-term health effects of concussions that include memory loss, chronic headaches, depression, fatigue, and loss of consciousness.
?There?s a heightened level of awareness now of the serious effects that concussions can have on the health of athletes at every level of competition, but it?s still not where it needs to be ? particularly among children and young adults,? said David Uba, chief executive officer, Excelsior Orthopaedics.
?Immediate diagnosis of a concussion and the proper treatment are the keys to avoiding any long-term effects, so we?ve established the Sports Concussion Center and the Play Safe Program at Excelsior to ensure that more young athletes in Western New York can get the care they need when they need it,? he said.
?A concussion is an injury to the brain, generally caused by a blow to the head, which jars or shakes the brain inside the skull,? said Jason Matuszak, M.D., director of Excelsior?s Sports Concussion Center and Play Safe program, and a specialist in sports medicine and concussion management. ?Most athletes who experience an initial concussion can recover completely as long as they are not returned to exertion or contact play too soon.?
The Play Safe program allows young athletes to take a 30 to 40 minute ImPACT