Baseline and Post-Concussion Testing

William P. Meehan, III, MD, Director of the Sports Concussion Clinic at Boston Children's Hospital, recommends both baseline balance and computerized neurocognitive testing for athletes playing sports with high concussion risk, but two 2012 studies suggest that comparing a concussed athlete's scores on post-concussion neurocognitive tests to those of athletes of the same age and gender is sufficient for purposes of concussion management and return-to-play decision-making. 

It was only when the use of pre-season and post-concussion neurocognitive testing proved that concussions were having a real effect on brain function that the sports and medical community began to take them seriously, says Dr. William P. Meehan, III.

Concussion expert Dr. William P. Meehan, III explains why athletes who try to intentionally fail a baseline neurocognitive test in order to be able to return to play sooner after a concussion are only putting themselves at risk.