UPMC taking new approach to treating concussions. Here’s how it works

PITTSBURGH — Thursday night, NFL fans saw the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins suffer a scary concussion, and he’s not alone.

Millions of athletes are diagnosed with concussions every year.

Pittsburgh has become what doctors call “ground zero” for concussion treatment and research.

After decades of research in Pittsburgh, doctors know more now than ever before, and the way they’re treating concussions in 2024 may surprise you.

Grace Cardoni is a sophomore on the Greensburg-Salem soccer team. On Aug. 26, she was going for a routine header when the ball hit the top of her head instead of the front.

“I kind of knew something was off because I started getting to get a little dizzy. My head hurt,” Grace said.

She was referred to the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program where she was surprised to learn the specific type of concussion she had and the treatment plan the doctors had in place.

“We’ve now identified that there’s different types of concussions. In fact, there’s six different sort of profiles that we see,” Dr. Micky Collins, executive director of the program. “Rest is not part of the formula in terms of how we treat this injury, we’ve really found that taking an active, targeted rehabilitation approach leads to better outcomes, and we can get kids back to the sports they love faster.”

Grace had a vestibular concussion – which deals with the ability to interpret movement and motion.

Just days after diagnosis, she worked to retrain that system through very specific and targeted exercises and movements.

“I always thought it was resting and being in a dark room and not looking at screens or anything. But it surprised me how well it worked, like almost instantly,” Grace said. “I was throwing a ball. I was running and touching cones. I ran on the treadmill for like 15 minutes.”

But like most athletes – it was something her body rejected initially.

“When she first started doing it. She’s like, ‘This doesn’t feel right,’ you know, because it produces the symptoms. But then she will also tell you that, I couldn’t believe how quickly it got better once we targeted the problem,” Dr. Collins said.

“Just after a couple days of doing these things, I was shocked,” Grace added.

Less than a week later, she passed her exit exam and was cleared to return to the soccer field.

Something Dr. Collins and his team are always thrilled to see but see quite frequently because of these innovative treatments.

“We want to treat it and get them back to play safely. And that’s what we do here, is we get them back to the sports they love,” Dr. Collins said.

Dr. Collins tells Channel 11 that the most important thing for someone who has a concussion is to see a specialist within seven days of their injury.

He said not only is the outcome way better, but if it’s managed and treated effectively, depending on the risk factors there shouldn’t be an increased risk of getting another concussion.

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