NFL and NHL Athletes and International Sports Concussion Experts Present New Developments in Prevention, Treatment and Return-to-Play Evaluation

Pittsburgh, July 23, 2001 -- As thousands of professional, college and high school football players across the nation begin their pre-season practices, sports medicine experts from across the country are gathering in Pittsburgh this weekend to learn the latest on how to manage a potentially serious injury that will affect about 10 percent of those football players – concussion.

UPMC Health System Center for Sports Medicine Concussion Program will host a conference, "New Developments in Sports-Related Concussion," Friday, July 27 through Sunday, July 29 at the Hilton Hotel, downtown Pittsburgh for more than 150 sports medicine and family practice physicians, athletic trainers, psychologists and coaches.

Concussion occurs when a person's brain is violently rocked back and forth inside of the skull due to a blow to the head or neck. Concussion can disturb brain activity and symptoms may include disorientation, confusion, dizziness, amnesia, uncoordinated hand-eye movements and sometimes unconsciousness. Severe concussion, although rare, can lead to brain swelling, cell and blood vessel damage and even death.

"The tricky issues with sports concussions are these: The symptoms are not always definite and the decision to allow the player to return to the game is not always straightforward," said Mark Lovell, Ph.D., conference director and world-renowned neuropsychologist who directs UPMC Center for Sports Medicine Concussion Program as well as the neuropsychological testing programs for the National Football League (NFL) and the National Hockey League (NHL).

"Allowing enough healing and recovery time is crucial in preventing any further damage as research shows that the effects of repeated concussion are cumulative. Putting a player at risk for a second concussion before the brain has had time to heal from an initial concussion increases the chance of more serious and permanent brain injury," said Dr. Lovell.

The conference will address the latest knowledge in prevention, treatment and evaluation of sports concussions, presented by international sports concussion experts.

Highlighted topics and presenters include:

Basic Concepts, Definitions and Guidelines: From the Laboratory to the Playing Field
Presented by Joseph Maroon, MD, professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

New Developments in Concussion Research With Brain Imaging
Presented by Donald Marion, MD, professor of neurological surgery at Pitt School of Medicine and director of neurotrauma at UPMC.

Latest Advances in Concussion Evaluation: From the Sideline to the Computer
Presented by Mark Lovell, PhD, neuropsychologist and director of UPMC Center for Sports Medicine's Concussion Program.

Concussion Assessment in High School and College Athletes Using the ImPACT© System
Presented by Michael Collins, PhD, neuropsychologist and assistant director of UPMC's sports concussion program.

Biomechanical Research and Head Protection
Presented by Marc Beusenberg, MSc, director of the NFL Biomechanics Project;

Efficacy of Mouthguards for Prevention of Sports Concussions
Presented by Dennis Ranalli, DDS, MDS, senior associate dean, Pitt School of Dental Medicine, team dentist for the Pittsburgh Panthers and president of the Academy for Sports Dentistry;

Concussions in Soccer
Presented by Dr. Lovell.

Update from the NHL
Presented by Charles Burke, III, MD, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Pitt School of Medicine, director of the NHL Concussion Program and team physician for the Pittsburgh Penguins;

Update from the NFL
Presented by Dr. Lovell and Andrew Tucker, MD, team physician for the Baltimore Ravens and member of the NFL Subcommittee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury;

Professional Athlete Panel Discussion: What Can Be Done to Prevent Concussions?
The panel of athletes will include former NFL players Merrill Hoge and Mike Tomczak and others. Physicians on the panel will include Drs. Maroon and Burke, and Steelers' team physicians James Bradley, MD, and Anthony Yates, MD.

UPMC Center for Sports Medicine Concussion Program, established in September 2000 under Dr. Lovell's direction, focuses on the diagnosis and management of sports-related concussions in athletes of all levels. In addition to continuing work with professional sports teams, Dr. Lovell's goal is to help make a sophisticated and standardized concussion evaluation program available to high school and younger athletes nationwide. With colleagues at UPMC and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Dr. Lovell developed the first computerized testing system to evaluate the severity of concussions and more accurately determine when an athlete can safely return to sports following a concussion. The system is called ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing). During the past year, ImPACT's use among professional, college and high school sports teams has been growing rapidly across the country.