From the Exam Room to the Ice Rink: Why an ENT Doctor Started Making Videos on Concussion Evaluation

Yes... the doctor/coach represented in the image
does not look like Dr. Chang.

(Videos at the Bottom.)

If you had asked me a few years ago whether concussion management would become a regular topic of my professional life, I would have said no without hesitation. As an ENT physician, my day-to-day work focuses on the ears, nose, throat, balance, hearing, and the complex systems that connect them. While those systems certainly overlap with neurology, concussion was not something I routinely evaluated or treated in my practice. If concussion was a concern, I would refer to neurology as a matter of course.

That changed the moment I stepped behind the bench as a youth ice hockey coach where accurate concussion evaluation was expected, especially given I have an "MD" degree. Did not really matter if I lacked actual medical training in concussion. (I assist coach the 2025-2026 Piedmont Predators 12U A Girls Travel Ice Hockey.)

A Front-Row Seat to a Real Problem

Ice hockey is fast, physical, and exhilarating. It is also a sport where collisions are inevitable. Once I began helping coach my daughter’s team, I gained a new perspective, not as a physician in a clinic, but as a parent and coach responsible for the safety of young athletes.

Concussion is a big concern in ice hockey. Even at younger ages, players move quickly, fall hard, and collide with each other or the boards. While helmets are excellent at preventing skull fractures and major head injuries, they do not prevent the brain from moving inside the skull. That reality became very clear as I watched players take hits that looked “minor,” yet left them shaken, dizzy, or not quite themselves.

What surprised me most was not that concussions occurred, but how often there was uncertainty afterward. This is in spite of (limited) mandatory training in concussion in order to become a certified USA Hockey coach.

• Is this a concussion or just a bump?

• Can the player go back in?

• What symptoms should we be watching for?

• Who is actually qualified to evaluate this?

Seeing the Gap Between Medicine and the Rink

As an ENT, I spend a significant amount of time evaluating dizziness, eye movements, balance, and inner ear function. These are the very systems that are commonly affected after a concussion. Yet on the rink, I noticed that many coaches, parents, and even athletes had never been taught how concussion symptoms can present beyond the obvious headache or loss of consciousness.

Concussion does not always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like:

• Trouble focusing the eyes

• Sensitivity to light or sound

• Feeling “off” or slow

• Subtle balance issues

• Nausea without vomiting

These are symptoms I expect to routinely hear about in the clinic, but never did I imagine evaluating these symptoms in the middle of an ice hockey game or practice.

Why I Started Making Videos (videos below)

I did not set out to become a “concussion expert.” But I did want to become more medically knowledgeable about concussion evaluation and management, especially in the context of youth sports. And while educating myself, I thought why not make videos on this topic, especially when the videos currently out there were not the best in terms of production quality.

I focussed on videos evaluating concussion rapidly and accurately in a youth sports setting. Also how eye movement tests can help with concussion evaluation as well as treatment.

These videos were not meant to replace medical care. Instead, they were designed to raise awareness and help people recognize when something is not right as well as some initial steps in concussion management.

Check out the videos below! There's one on rapid concussion evaluation, eye exercises for concussion treatment, and 6 eye movement tests for concussion evaluation.

Of course, a video will never replace the expert opinion of a healthcare professional trained in concussion evaluation and management.

A Natural Intersection of Roles

In many ways, this journey makes sense in hindsight. ENT sits at the crossroads of hearing, balance, vision, and spatial orientation, all systems commonly disrupted by concussion. Coaching youth hockey simply brought that overlap into sharp focus.

More importantly, being both a physician and a coach reinforced one central truth: protecting young brains regardless of how much a player wants to continue playing after a possible concussion injury.

If a video helps one parent take symptoms seriously, one coach feel confident pulling a player from the game, or one athlete understand that speaking up is not a weakness, then it is worth it.

Looking Ahead

Concussion awareness in ice hockey has improved, but there is still work to be done. Education remains one of the most powerful tools we have. As long as kids lace up skates and chase a puck at high speed, concussion will remain a concern.

For me, coaching my daughter’s team did more than teach me about hockey. It reminded me that medicine does not stop at the clinic door, and sometimes the most meaningful impact comes from stepping into unexpected roles and sharing knowledge where it is needed.

Background

For those curious, I played ice hockey for about 25 years in my youth. Played varsity in high school (captain my senior year) and played in adult leagues thru college, medical school, and residency. During my 3rd year of residency, I quit ice hockey after I injured my hand during a game. For the next 20 years, I did not play ice hockey until 2024 when my daughter expressed interest in playing. At that point, I decided to not only assist coach (and get my USA Hockey coaching certification), but to also join the adult hockey league (again) for myself. In any given week, I'm at the ice rink 3-5 times.