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The Weill Cornell Medicine Concussion Clinic takes a neurological approach to a neurological injury. Although that sounds self-evident, not every concussion treatment center does. We believe that a rational, science-based approach to the assessment and management of concussion is best offered through a world-class Brain and Spine Center with international experts in all facets of head trauma and concussion. Our team consists of specially trained neuropsychologists, neurotrauma specialists, and neurologists — both adult and pediatric. Members of our staff serve as consultants to the New York Giants, New York Jets, New York Islanders, and college and high school athletes to manage their concussion programs.
Concussions have taken on a new urgency recently, as evidence continues to emerge that they can have lifelong implications. Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries have become a major health hazard in need of vigorous prevention and treatment. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there are between 1.6 and 3.8 million concussions (diagnosed or not) every year in the U.S. These estimates work out to more than at least 5,000 concussions per day. Concussions are most common during the teenage years, due primarily to sports, and in individuals over age 65, due to falls. However, no one is immune to sustaining a concussion, whether it be from a strong hit in football, a car accident, a fall, or an assault.
Recognizing the importance of preventing and treating concussions, Governor Cuomo signed legislation effective July 1, 2012, that mandates every school system in New York institute a formal program for evaluating and treating sports-related concussions in the school systems. This new Concussion Management and Awareness Act followed similar initiatives recently instituted in New Jersey and Connecticut. Since this legislation passed, and with the media storm of attention paid to concussion, many concussion clinics have sprouted up offering treatments and services, some of which are expensive, burdensome, and unnecessary. Weill Cornell Medicine has answered this need by establishing a world-class concussion clinic where top neurotrauma experts can make immediate assessments of injuries and provide treatment and follow-up, including return to play/return to school/return to work recommendations. In the event of post-concussion syndrome, we offer neuro-ophthalmology, physiatry, neurological, and cognitive remediation services to help get our patients back to feeling like themselves again.
