Concussion: Assessment

Over the years a protocol for assessing concussion has been developed, and bull riding and rodeo physicians and medical teams are proficient in its use.  Dr. Tandy Freeman, the PBR's medical team director, estimates that he evaluates riders for concussion at the rate of one or two per event, assessing for the following symptoms:

• Dazed / stunned / dinged
• Confused / in a fog
• Balance problem / unsteadiness
• Visual disturbance
• Ringing in ears / hearing problem
• Nausea / vomiting
• Drowsy / fatigued / slowed down
• Difficulty concentrating
• Amnesia / difficulty remembering
• Headache
• Irritable
• Not right
• Emotional lability
• Loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness
• Seizure or convulsive activity
• Exam showing changes in memory and speech, eye motion and pupils, coordination, and gait

The study of concussion is evolving continually and current attention to the injury is accelerating medical understanding and assisting in development of treatment protocols.