MDNews - Long Island

Specia lty treatment services available through the ThinkSMART! progra m a nd Concussion Ma nagement Center at St. Charles Hospita l include: + Neurocognitive testing with a neu- ropsychologist, which can determine if patients may benefit from cogni- tive therapy + Visual therapy for visua l discom- fort, difficulty with reading and other visual tasks + Vestibular physical therapy to treat dizziness and trouble with balance + Return to play progression + B u f f a l o c o n c u s s i o n t r e a d - mill testing "To begin the return-to-play process, athletes must be completely asymptom- atic, have a normal physical exam and their ImPACT test results must return to baseline," Dr. Gray says. "Once that crite- ria is met, athletes begin a return-to-play protocol in which a sports physical thera- pist or athletic trainer works with them t o i ncrea se t hei r exercise level over the course of sev- eral days. Athletes who complete that progression with- out difficulty move to t he f ina l sta ge of ret u r n to play, which is participat- ing in a full practice for t heir spor t . If that goes well, we release them." ThinkSMART! rema ins on the fore- f ront of concussion ma na gement by incorporating leading-edge eva luation a nd treatment techniques. A key exa m- ple is the progra m's recently instituted monitored-exercise protocol for ath- letes with post-concussion syndrome, a cond it ion where s y mpt om s l i n ger for weeks or months a f ter the injur y. Led by a spor ts therapist a nd ava ilable at a ny of St. Cha rles Rehabi litation's nine outpatient locations (see "Spor ts Therapy Key in Comprehensive Spor ts Medicine"), t he protocol is ba sed on growing evidence that a swif t return to light aerobic activit y a f ter concussion may be benef icia l. "After referra l from a concussion spe- cia list, patients with post-concussion syndrome exercise on a treadmill or sta- tiona r y bicycle at one of our outpatient rehabi litation centers whi le wea ring a hea r t rate monitor," Dr. Gray says. "Spor ts therapists monitor patients for onset of symptoms a nd then develop a n exercise protocol that patients ca n fol- low at home or in their loca l g ym to keep their hea r t rates w ithin a sa fe ra nge. A week or t wo later, t hey ret u r n for reeva luation a nd work with the spor ts Sports Therapy Key in Comprehensive Sports Medicine UNDER THE LE A DER SHIP of Sports Therapy Clinical Coordinators Keith Levinson, PT, DPT, SCS, OCS, CSCS, and John E. Ebinger, PT, DPT, sports therapists at St. Charles Rehabilitation play a vital role in St. Charles Sports Medicine. They work closely with sports medicine physicians to treat injured athletes while reducing the risk of injury for healthy athletes. ST. CHARLES SPORTS THER APISTS: + Treat student athletes for a variety of sports-related musculoskeletal injuries in St. Charles Rehabilitation's nine outpatient rehabilitation locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, in Albertson, Centereach, Commack, East Setauket, Melville, Patchogue, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Smithtown + Lead sports recovery clinics for student athletes through- out the year to help them maximize their physical recovery from strenuous games, practices and workouts with state-of-the-art equipment and therapeutic interventions + Deliver specialized physical and occupational therapy follow- ing procedures and surgeries, including platelet-rich plasma injection and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction + Conduct functional tests and physical exertion assess- ments on concussed student athletes as part of a safe return-to-play progression + Provide preseason movement assessments and baseball screenings designed to identify risky movement patterns and physical limitations, and provide injury prevention techniques and exercises to address them The preseason movement assessments are meant to identify deficits in baseball and soccer players' form, according to Hayley Queller, MD, PC, Medical Co-director of the ThinkSMART!™ Concussion Management Program and Co-director of the Sports Medicine Program at St. Charles Hospital. "Sports therapists can identify faults in athletes' move- ment patterns and show them how to limit those faults before injury occurs," she says. "If, for example, a throwing athlete, such as a baseball player, has a tight pectoralis muscle and doesn't stretch it, he will likely experience shoulder pain during the season. Our sports therapists provide preseason movement assessments to interested individuals or groups at schools or off-campus locations." Jennifer Gray, DO, Medical Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Medical Co-director of the ThinkSMART! Concussion Management Program at St. Charles Hospital, checks for impaired eye movement in a student athlete in whom a concussion is suspected. 0 8❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R F E A T U R E

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