Chicagoland Parents in the Dark on how Youth Sports Impact Brain Health

DES PLAINES, Ill., Oct. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey of Chicagoland parents conducted by Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (IBJI), one of the largest independent, physician-owned orthopedic practices in the U.S., found that they are unprepared and uninformed when it comes to concussions in youth sports.

The IBJI Injury Awareness in Youth Sports survey found 66 percent of Chicago parents have never heard of a baseline brain health test, and of the parents who have heard of the test, only 36 percent said their child(ren) has ever taken a baseline test. Brain health baseline testing measures an athlete's performance in various areas, such as balance and memory, and physicians recommend for athletes to take the test every 1-2 years for comparison in the event of a concussion.

"A baseline test is an important proactive measure parents can take when it comes to protecting their child in youth sports," said Dr. Anthony Savino, sports neurologist at IBJI. "In this day and age I would have expected higher numbers, but this just means we have work left to do."

If an athlete suffers a possible head injury during the season, the results of the baseline test are used as a comparison to evaluate if the athlete is in fact concussed.  The same information is then utilized throughout the recovery process to ensure they return to their baseline functioning.

The survey also found that 72 percent of parents could not accurately identify the signs of a concussion when asked to choose from a list of symptoms, either not correctly identifying all possible symptoms or incorrectly identifying non-concussion symptoms as ones related to concussions.

"Education is paramount, and is the foundation of our practice.  Unfortunately youth sports often do not have the resources that high schools or colleges do, including trained medical staff.  As children begin training for sports more competitively and at a younger age, parents become a key part of the concussion recognition process," said Dr. Savino. "We promote an active lifestyle. Participating in sports is healthy, and often a fun and memorable part of childhood.  This data shows that we can all do more for our athletes, to educate and be educated, as we move forward."

For more information about IBJI Sports Neurology and its locations, please visit www.ibji.com.

ABOUT ILLINOIS BONE & JOINT INSTITUTE
Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (IBJI) is one of the largest independent, physician-owned orthopedic practices in the U.S. Their more than 100 board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons, with expertise in every orthopedic specialty, provide care to children and adults, alike. IBJI offers patients collaborative, integrated care including advanced MRI, CT and bone density diagnostics, sports training, sport medicine, sports neurology, rheumatology, podiatry, pain management, rehabilitation and surgical and non-surgical treatments and therapies. IBJI has locations throughout Chicago and the north/northwest suburbs. Additionally, IBJI's OrthoAccess® walk-in clinics offer same-day immediate orthopedic care. IBJI was founded in 1990 and incorporates decades of experience from highly skilled and respected provider teams. For more information, please visit www.ibji.com.

ABOUT THE SURVEY METHODOLOGY
The IBJI Injury Awareness in Youth Sports survey was conducted online within the United States by Radius Global Market Research on behalf of IBJI from August 11-18, 2018 among 300 parents of at least one child in kindergarten through 12th grade in the Chicago DMA. The survey was conducted utilizing an online panel of respondents. A complete survey method is available upon request. IBJI designed the survey to help better understand Chicago parents' views, opinions and preparedness when it comes to children playing youth sports, either through school or an outside league/group. In addition to informing the public on the findings of the survey, IBJI also plans to use the results to advance patient care and informational materials.

ABOUT RADIUS GLOBAL MARKET RESEARCH
Radius Global Market Research (www.radius-global.com) is one of the largest independent market research companies. For more than 50 years, the business has partnered with global marketers to develop insight-based strategies that drive brand performance. A superior level of senior team involvement is the hallmark of Radius Global Market Research's approach. Radius is based in New York. Global operations include London-based Radius Europe, Radius MEA in Dubai, and Radius Asia in Beijing. For more information, visit www.radius-global.com

Contact:
Chelsea Katz
[email protected]
312-222-9131

SOURCE Illinois Bone & Joint Institute