Appropriate concussion management begins with educating area medical professionals to help keep them abreast of current information about the diagnosis, care and treatment of concussions. Our knowledge of this injury has expanded exponentially over the last decade, with new studies and information constantly being made available.

The physicians of AMP and Ortho Montana offer conferences, lecture series, case discussions, and continuing education opportunities to medical professionals across Montana and around the Western region. Education does not stop with health care providers; however. It extends to athletes, parents, coaches, and teachers through community and regional conferences, coaches clinics, and audio, video, print and electronic media. By doing so, everyone is able to benefit from a better understanding of concussions-especially the athlete who has sustained one.

Field-side care is one of the most important parts of appropriate concussion management. An athlete who has potentially been concussed should NEVER return to the practice or game until evaluated by a medical professional well trained in concussion diagnosis and management. The mantra: "When In Doubt, Sit Them Out" never fails.

At AMP, our certified athletic trainers are all licensed, certified, and have received additional training and certification in concussion care and treatment. They cover 22 local high schools as well as Rocky Mountain College and Montana State University- Billings athletics, and are an irreplaceable component of field side care. Additionally, our sports medicine physicians cover many of the local sporting events.

Because our athletic trainers or physicians are not available field side for all sporting events in and around Billings, it is important that coaches understand what to look for in a concussed athlete and how to get that athlete the appropriate follow-up care. In addition to educational opportunities, we provide these coaches validated sideline assessment tools (SAC Card and AMP SCAT Card) to help diagnose concussions and provide helpful information about the injury to the sideline medical team, emergency room physicians and other health care providers who will follow up with the athletes.

Clinical follow-up is important to getting our athletes back to academics and athletics as quickly as possible. It may begin with a referral to the emergency department for acute evaluation and possible CT scan imaging to rule out more concerning problems prior to being seen in clinic. The decision for evaluation in the emergency department is often made field side by the medical staff or after a concussion by a concerned parent. The medical staff of St. Vincent's Emergency Department has received additional information and training on sport concussion and appropriate management.

Further follow-up occurs with the athlete's local physician if they are comfortable with dealing with concussion or can occur at Ortho Montana with sports medicine physicians who have all received additional training and are certified in managing concussions. A treatment protocol and algorithm is followed to help appropriately guide management of the concussed athlete.

Neurocognitive testing has become an important part of concussion management over the last few years. We utilize the ImPACT online computer-based neurocognitive test, a validated concussion management tool used across the sporting world to help manage and treat concussions through better evaluation. We utilize baseline testing of our student athletes in the area high schools and colleges that can be used for a comparison of a student athlete's visual and verbal memory, reaction time, and other measures after they have suffered a concussion. It has become an important tool to assist in concussion management, providing an objective measure to the concussion's effect on the athlete's cognitive abilities. Ortho Montana physicians have utilized ImPACT since 2006 and are all certified ImPACT consultants. In addition, all AMP certified athletic trainers have received additional training in ImPACT.

In the case of complicated concussions or difficult to manage cases, the Ortho Montana concussion management team includes the expertise of local neurology and neuropsychology providers.

Getting back in the game is the ultimate goal of the athlete, parent coach and the AMP medical team. Our passion for sports and healthy, successful athletes drives our desire to help them play again, but not at the cost of unnecessary risk. That's why, once an athlete's symptoms have resolved through rest and their neurocognitive test scores have normalized, we utilize a standardized return-to-play, stepwise exertional protocol. This approach is advocated by the 3rd International Concussion in Sport expert consensus recommendations.

Developing and utilizing a support network is a direct reflection of the educational goals of our program. In fact, our ultimate goal is to bring concussion management up to speed across the entire state of Montana.

At AMP, we understand that not all individuals understand concussions, and not all healthcare providers are comfortable with diagnosing and managing them. As such, we feel it is important for those with questions to have a place to turn.

This website is the core of that support network.

It includes the appropriate educational tools for parents, athletes, coaches, and medical professionals. If presented with a complicated case, we are here to help work through a case or assist in getting appropriate evaluation and treatment, even if that includes more specialty evaluation by neurology or neuropsychology.