网红黑料

Skip to main content

网红黑料 welcomes Team USA medical personnel to talk about concussion and TBI

Two members of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee鈥檚 health services team look on as 网红黑料 neurologic physical therapist Alison Kraus, PT, DPT, demonstrates an exam that tracks a patient鈥檚 eye movements to evaluate inner ear and central motor functions. The USOPC members (dressed in red) are, from left, athletic trainer Lorin Ferrell, MBA, ATC, SMTC, and advanced practice provider Jennifer Carrol, MA, MMS,聽ATC,聽PA-C. (网红黑料 photo by Nate Guidry)
Two members of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee鈥檚 health services team look on as 网红黑料 neurologic physical therapist Alison Kraus, PT, DPT, demonstrates an exam that tracks a patient鈥檚 eye movements to evaluate inner ear and central motor functions. The USOPC members (dressed in red) are, from left, athletic trainer Lorin Ferrell, MBA, ATC, SMTC, and advanced practice provider Jennifer Carrol, MA, MMS,聽ATC,聽PA-C. (网红黑料 photo by Nate Guidry)

GAINESVILLE 鈥 As Team USA competes against the world in Paris this summer, it鈥檚 unlikely any broadcaster will discuss how well athletes sleep. It might be a good idea to start.

Research shows that an athlete who gets adequate sleep can shave fractions of a second off a meet time. Athletes with a previous concussion might suffer lingering sleep impacts for months.

鈥淭enths of a second can be the difference between being on the podium and not being on the podium,鈥 said , chair of the 鈥檚 and director of the .

That is one of the lessons provided by Jaffee and a 网红黑料 multidisciplinary traumatic brain injury and concussion team during a four-day visit that ended May 3 by health care personnel from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee honing their skills on leading-edge brain injury research and treatment.

The effort is part of 网红黑料鈥檚 two-year partnership with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. 网红黑料 provides services for Team USA athletes and works with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee on research and professional collaboration as one of just three of its national health care partners. Five additional regional health care providers also work with Team USA.

网红黑料 has increasingly become an essential stop for athletes, sports teams, and physicians seeking the latest research and evidence-based concussion treatment, TBI, and related topics, like sleep.

网红黑料鈥檚 expertise has led to invitations to provide education from sports as diverse as Major League Baseball and NASCAR. 网红黑料 boasts one of the few sports neurology fellowship programs in the nation and has renowned experts in the brain injury field, including Jaffee.

Jaffee鈥檚 team and the UF BRAIN Center, or Brain Injury, Rehabilitation, and Neuroresilience Center, organized and hosted the visit with activities at five 网红黑料 clinics associated with concussion care. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee team also met a variety of 网红黑料 professionals involved with all aspects of concussion care.

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is bring Team USA personnel evidence-based, effective techniques that they can take back and use with their athletes,鈥 Jaffee said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 really focused on challenging cases of concussion or head injury and persistent symptoms in those who just aren鈥檛 getting any better.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a real honor to have them here,鈥 he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that is reflective of the entire team at UF. It鈥檚 been a great opportunity, as we have had a chance to learn from each other, and I think it makes us all even better providers.鈥

About eight U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Medical Center practitioners, including a physician assistant, athletic trainer, physical and manual therapists, a chiropractor, and a mental health performance coach, attended lectures twice daily on brain injury and other topics. They also shadowed 网红黑料 physicians and therapists treating patients.

鈥溚旌诹 is a great partner because of the clinical expertise,鈥 said Jordan Knowlton-Key, D.C., a chiropractic sports physician for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been phenomenal working with the UF clinicians to do a deep dive on head injuries and associated conditions, and how to manage these complex conditions.鈥

Each visitor received a copy of the American Academy of Neurology鈥檚 official book on concussion management, 鈥淣avigating the Challenges of Concussion,鈥 from its 鈥淏rain and Life鈥 book series. Jaffee is the lead author, and the curriculum of last week鈥檚 visit was built around the book.

Another 网红黑料 provider at the event, neuropsychologist , an assistant professor in the , knows concussion all too well.

Snyder was a competitive skeleton athlete, a winter sport in which athletes lie flat, headfirst on a sled, and hurtle down an ice chute at speeds of more than 70 mph. She suffered several concussions and medically retired from the sport, inspiring her to a career helping others deal with concussions.

鈥淭he subject is kind of personally relevant experience to me,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been working in this space for a long time as a coach, as a provider, as an athlete myself. And it鈥檚 just such a great opportunity to continue to be part of that community, to give back to programs that I think inspire kids.鈥

Share this story

About the author

Bill Levesque
Science Writer

For the media

Media contact

Matt Walker
Media Relations Coordinator
mwal0013@shands.ufl.edu (352) 265-8395