Area Hospitals Seeing More Patients Reporting Sports Concussions
By Paul Kurtz
BRYN MAWR, Pa. (CBS) -- With the number of reported concussions on the rise, doctors and therapists are working to develop new ways to treat and rehabilitate its victims.
Today, at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, Jack Vermeil was giving the Dynavision D2 vision training board another workout, slapping at lights that blink randomly and rapidly behind a black board mounted on a wall.
Jack, 24, grandson of legendary Eagles' coach Dick Vermeil, played lacrosse in college and suffered a concussion during his junior season. He says the training board helped him recover from the symptoms that returned a year after his injury.
"I went through a more extensive and aggressive rehab," he says, "and since June I've had no issues. I've been feeling fine."
Clint Beckley, Jack's therapist, explains the rehab tool:
"The Dynavision is a great machine for building someone's visual reaction timing, helping them establish good dividing-attention skills, and activating the central and peripheral fields of vision smoothly together."
Bryn Mawr Rehab has seen a tenfold increase in concussion patients since 2008. Officials suspect that the controversy involving college and NFL football players has prompted more victims to get checked out rather than riding out the symptoms.
