According to Brainline.org, an estimated 3.8 million concussions occur from sports and recreation-related activities. Such injuries can lead to bleeding in the brain and a breach in the blood-brain barrier. It is important for your athlete to have a pre-concussion baseline test for comparison after an event has occurred. Ideally, this kind of concussion testing should be done before your athlete’s season begins.
Testing blood-brain barrier permeability is critical to establish when it is safe to return an athlete back to play and to avoid Second Impact Syndrome or neurodegenerative diseases. This is what makes Clarendon Chiropractic’s CTE testing stand above the rest. Our FDA approved test methods are the gold standard in the USA. Additionally, they are approved in Canada and 28 countries in Europe. It is the only test of its kind. The testing involves checking neurological integrity (balance) in different positions, neurological adaptability to stress and blood-brain barrier permeability.
When the blood brain barrier has been damaged through injuries like a concussion, killer proteins are permitted entry into the brain. Once this occurs antibodies such as IgG, IgA, IgM are produced against those killer proteins and neuronal tissue antigens. When these antibodies are left untreated they may become destructive to brain tissue, which leads to neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, MS, Senile Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, CTE to name a few.
The Cyrex Labs Array 20 is a blood test that is used to detect blood brain barrier permeability. Its clinical uses include early investigation in management of contact sports related Traumatic Brain Injury (Concussion). Array 20 along with Neurological Autoimmune Reactivity Screen (Array 7) can be used to assess the increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
It’s important to note that when the antibodies IgG, IgA, IgM are present in an Array 20 test this indicates the blood brain barrier is disrupted. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Until the blood brain barrier has been healed from a concussion the athlete is susceptible to Second Impact Syndrome, which has proven fatal. If you return to contact before allowing the blood brain barrier time to heal completely, the next concussion can create an irreversible autoimmune reaction. This may lead to neurodegeneration. For these reasons, complete blood brain barrier healing is vital to preventing Second Impact Syndrome.
A quick concussion test can be performed at our facility. Contact our staff today to see how we can help.
