ImPACT Testing Keeps Student Athletes Safe on the Field

The sports medicine experts at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists say there are preventative steps that players, coaches, parents, and athletic directors can take to keep athletes safe throughout the season.

The ImPACT concussion testing program at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists provides baseline and post-concussion testing to student athletes at area high schools who participate in a school-sponsored high-risk sport free of charge. Those local schools include Jefferson Senior High School—Alexandria, Osakis High School, West Central Area High School, Brandon-Evansville High School, Minnewaska Area High School, and Parkers Prairie High School. Heartland Orthopedic Specialists also provides ImPACT testing for the Alexandria Blizzard and Alexandria Area Hockey Association.

The baseline test is good for two years, and the results are kept on file indefinitely at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists, to be used as a reference should the athlete sustain a concussion at a later date.

Post-concussion tests include follow-up concussion care from one of Heartland Orthopedic Specialists’ Certified Athletic Trainers from the initial visit until an athlete returns to play.

“Parents, athletes, and coaches can feel comforted by our testing process,” explains Paul Westerberg , M.A., A.T.C., O.T.C., at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists. “Following a concussion, athletes will return to play only when a sports medicine expert deems it safe to do so.”

If you have any questions regarding the ImPACT concussion testing program at Heartland Orthopedic Specialists, call one of our sports medicine doctors at (320) 335-6078.