I found a very interesting email about research being done at the University of Oregon.  It was so well written I thought I would just place it on the blog…

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In what may be the first study of its kind, the University of Oregon’s Motion Analysis Laboratory released a fascinating and chilling new video that illustrates the dramatic effect a concussion can have on high school athletes’ ability to control balance while walking.

Using computer generated images from reflective markers worn by the subjects, the video shows the gaits of two high school students – one a healthy subject and the other a victim of a concussion from a helmet-to-helmet collision in football practice two days prior – to emphasize the poor control and balance of the concussed athlete.

The full study included 40 high school athletes – 20 who were diagnosed with a concussion from sports including football, soccer, volleyball and wrestling, and 20 similar healthy athletes – who were tested over a two-month period. The results showed that the concussed athletes had trouble maintaining balance and walking speed while also responding to auditory cues as long as two months following the concussion.

Research on concussion recovery time, like what is being done at the University of Oregon, may help improve safety and better pinpoint when it is safe for to return to field or court.