After the team determined that DeMaioribus was ready to return to play, she was thrilled to start running track and is hoping to play soccer in the fall.
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It all started for the now 16-year-old in June 2011, when she hit her head during a soccer game and suffered a concussion.
The next week, she hit her head again in a boating accident, was diagnosed with another concussion and spent two weeks at home avoiding any stimulating activities to allow her brain to heal.
Then in February 2012, DeMaioribus was practicing soccer drills when an errant ball hit the back of her head. Once again, she sustained a concussion.
“Having three concussions in less than a year had a snowball effect that made the last one worse,” says DeMaioribus. “I had memory loss, trouble concentrating and couldn’t even attend school.”
Call in the concussion experts
After beginning treatment at Somerset Medical Center’s Sports Performance
and Rehabilitation Center in Bridgewater, DeMaioribus and her family consulted
the Concussion Program at Somerset Medical Center. The program’s
multidisciplinary team includes athletic trainers, physical therapists,
neuropsychologists and physicians specializing in sports medicine who
provide early recognition, management and rehabilitation of concussions.
“In most cases, although no damage is apparent in a CT scan or an MRI, concussions can cause a wide range of symptoms including headaches, sleep difficulty, balance problems, moodiness or attention lapses,” says Thomas J. Lardner, MD, medical director of Rehabilitation Services at Somerset Medical Center. “People in high-impact activities are at risk for concussions and, because their brains are continuously developing, children and adolescents are among the most vulnerable.”
To properly assess DeMaioribus’ condition, the concussion team provided a complete examination, reviewed her symptoms and assessed her cognitive abilities and balance skills. Using current techniques, including a computerized evaluation system called IMPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), the team created an individualized, multi-faceted plan that included physical therapy, rest and monitoring to determine her ability to return to play.
On the mend
DeMaioribus attended physical therapy sessions twice a week for several
months at Somerset Medical Center’s Sports Performance and Rehabilitation
Center in Bridgewater. Throughout that period, the team assessed her progress
by testing her cognitive and balance skills. Gradually, DeMaioribus healed,
but before she could return to school and athletics, she underwent IMPACT
testing and had to pass a four-day protocol of various aerobic activities
designed by the Concussion Program team.
“A concussion is not like a broken bone that you can see, it’s an internal injury, so there may be some pressure from teammates or coaches to ‘get back in the game’ before you’re ready,” says Doula Reilly, Somerset Medical Center physical therapist. “As a community, we need to bring more awareness to concussions to prevent the long-term effects such as tremors and speech impairment that have plagued competitive athletes such as Muhammad Ali.”
After the team determined that DeMaioribus was ready to return to play, she was thrilled to start running track and is hoping to play soccer in the fall.“The Somerset Medical Center concussion team really understood what I was going through,” she says. “I cannot thank them enough for getting me to where I am today.”
For more information on concussion services at Somerset Medical Center, visit
somersetsportsmedicine.comor call 855-SPRTS-MED.
Somerset Medical Center’s concussion program is available at five physical therapy locations throughout Central New Jersey. We also
offer an array of health care services at 20 convenient locations:
Somerville
Somerset Medical Center, 110 Rehill Ave.
The Steeplechase Cancer Center, 30 Rehill Ave.
Somerset Family Practice Center, 110 Rehill Ave.
Bridgewater
Cardiology Associates of Somerset County, 745 Route 202/206
CardioMD LLC, 45 Union Ave., Ste. 1A
Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Center, TD Bank Park
Flemington
Sports Physical Therapy Institute, 361 State Route 31, Building C, Ste. 804
Hillsborough
Primary Care Center at Hillsborough, 331 Route 206 North, Ste. 2B4
Sleep for Life, 331 Route 206 North
Somerset Medical Center Laboratory at Hillsborough, 331 Route 206 North, Ste. 2C
Somerset Medical Center Urgent Care at Hillsborough, 751 Route 206, Ste. 102
Sports Physical Therapy Institute, 1 Jill Court, Building 16, Ste. 20
Towne Centre Family Care, P.A., 302 Towne Centre Drive
Princeton
Sports Physical Therapy Institute, 743 Alexander Road, Ste. 2
Raritan
CardioMD LLC, 1130 Raritan Office Campus, Building E, Route 202 South
Somerset Medical Center Primary Care at Raritan, 34 East Somerset St.
(opens July 1)
Somerset
Chest and Intensive Care Medicine, 35 Clyde Road, Stes. 105 and 106
Franklin Medical Group, 454 Elizabeth Ave., Ste. 210
Warren
Warren Internal Medicine, 31J Mountain Blvd.