What is baseline testing and why is it important?
What is baseline testing?
Baseline tests are used to assess an athlete’s current function. Athletic skills tests could include sport specific drills, such as single leg hop distance, triple hop distance or vertical height of a jump. Cognitive tests could include visual, memory and concentration assessments.
What makes this test important?
Baseline testing is important because the best comparison of your cognitive status is to yourself in a healthy state. Comparing post-injury test results to baseline test results can assist health care professionals in identifying the effects of the injury and making more informed return to school and play decisions.
Let’s use an example to show why baselines testing is important:
For example, if a patient has a 1 foot jump distance that is 20% greater on their right foot versus left, this would tell their practitioner two important pieces of information
If the patient injured their left foot, we would know their “normal” would be 20% of the right foot’s distance
Baseline testing also identifies areas for improvement in their current training protocol. A difference of 20% would notify the athlete that we need to work on strength of the left side.
Without a baseline, healthcare providers have to rely on their best guess as to where your functioning should be.
How often should an athlete undergo baseline testing?
Most components of baseline testing should be repeated annually to establish a valid test result for comparison should an athlete sustain a concussion. We encourage athletes to undergo baseline testing at the beginning of the sports season so you can be assured your results are up to date.
We'd like to invite you to our free concussion and athletics screening clinic where we will assess your child's visual and cognitive function as well as sport-specific function. You can then use this information in the event of an injury in order to know what your child's pre-injury baseline was to maximize treatment.
Hosted by Elysian Health's Physiotherapists Sukhi Battu and Tiffany Chao. Appointment times are 75 minutes and will take place between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Sunday, November 14.
If you'd like to book this free screening for your child, please call Elysian Health at 604-256-4112.